


Will Graham: Mall Cop

by deadratz



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Canonical Character Death, Developing Relationship, First Dates, Hannibal Lecter is a Cannibal, I have no idea how to tag this but I'll figure it out, M/M, Mall AU, Mall Cop Will Graham, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, although they are killed in different ways
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-26
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:21:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 27,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27722047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deadratz/pseuds/deadratz
Summary: Will Graham is just an ordinary security guard at a mall. He drives his Segway, he hands out dog stickers to kids, he longingly looks at the dog plushies at Build-A-Bear, and he definitely doesn't play games in the arcade on the clock. Everything is perfectly normal until a mysterious man opens an antique shop the same week mall employees start dropping like flies.*On hiatus indefinitely
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 58
Kudos: 173





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I watched Paul Blart tonight and then I decided I need a Will Graham mall cop hannigram AU. That's it.
> 
> *Not beta read

“Morning, Will,” Jack Crawford says. He looks up at his desk as Will walks past him to his locker. Will takes off his jacket, and checks the assignment board. “Got you on the first floor today. We’re short on personnel today because Jimmy and Brian both called in sick, so I have you in a larger area than usual.”

“That’s no problem, Jack.” Will goes to the coffee machine and fills his usual mug. “Zeller and Price  _ both? _ And you believe they’re actually sick?”

“Not at all, but what am I supposed to do? At least they’re not playing hooky to go to the mall,” Jack laughs. “Although, if you  _ do  _ see them, make sure you hand their asses to them.”

Will smiles. “That  _ does  _ seem like something they’d do. There’s a new movie out today, isn’t there? I’m sure I’ll see them if I make my way to the theater at all.”

“Let’s hope for their sake, you don’t make it there, then.”

Will checks his watch, and heads for his Segway that stays along the wall charging at night. He pulls a dog sticker out of his pocket and adds it to the others. He does that every time he picks up a new pack of dog stickers. He likes handing them out to the little kids at the mall with their parents. It brightens their days, and in turn brightens his own. 

“I better head out, then. The mall won’t protect itself,” Will salutes his boss and steps onto his Segway, before rolling out of the security office. 

Being a mall cop was definitely not Will’s first choice of job. Really, being a real cop was his first choice, and he did that, for several years. He worked homicide for the New Orleans PD right up until he got stabbed. With his background in law enforcement, and with his education and degrees, he went north to be a teacher at the FBI academy, but it didn’t work out. He doesn’t like to think about it much, but he’s almost glad it didn’t work out because it brought him to the mall as a security guard. 

Sometimes he works shows at local music venues, sometimes he works at the county fair during the summer, really anywhere they might need security on his days off, but the mall is his main gig. He likes it well enough. Jack Crawford is a good boss to have, Jimmy Price and Brian Zeller are great coworkers when they aren’t calling in sick on the same day. Then there’s Beverly Katz, one of his only  _ real  _ friends. 

There’s Alana who works at an ice cream place he frequents, but he knows her interest in him mostly starts and ends with the large tips he leaves and the fact that he isn’t a douchebag to her, unlike a lot of other customers at the mall. There’s Freddie Lounds who works at the newspaper stand, but Will sees her as more of an enemy than anything. She likes making fun of the mall cops. Will doesn’t really blame her. 

Will rolls past several stores, keeping an eye out for anyone that looks suspicious, or anyone that needs help. He’s supposed to take the entire east side of the first floor on his own today, with their staff stretched too thin to split it up like normal, so he makes his rounds, circling the area, staying as observant as he can. 

Occasionally, on a really exciting day, he gets to call the real police about shoplifters, but usually he just has to escort rude people off the premises. Usually the ‘let me speak to the manager’ types. It can be boring, but he does what he can to keep it interesting. He hangs out by the arcade a lot, turning a blind eye when he sees teenagers sending their younger siblings up the skee-ball ramps to cheat. He absolutely  _ does not _ play Stacker when he’s on duty. Really, he doesn’t. 

Today, though, he’s covering a larger territory, and there’s a new store open. This usually means higher foot traffic, but when he passes by there’s no one even near the store. He’s about to just roll right past it, but something catches his eye.

It’s a store full of clocks. Wall clocks, grandfather clocks, watches. All old as shit, too. Will finds it interesting, but it makes perfect sense why no one’s going in. He wonders how the owner even managed to get the suite in the mall, if he’s being honest. It doesn’t seem very profitable. Will decides he should go in and welcome to the mall, so he parks his Segway by the door and walks in. 

As he walks through the shop, he sees it’s not just clocks, but other types of antiques, too. They look like they’d all be haunted, and he thinks the owner should use that to his advantage if he wants people interested in the store. 

He strolls down the aisles, made up of book shelves and furniture, with his hands clasped behind his back, careful not to touch anything. It smells like old stuff in there, which really throws Will off because it’s a brand new store. 

“Ah, hello,” comes a velvety, accented voice from behind him. He turns and sees the face that matches the voice. A man with high cheekbones and an award winning smile. Will can’t quite place the man’s accent, but he knows it’s some sort of European.

“Hey. Just stopping in to welcome you to the mall. Are you the owner?” Will smiles. 

“I am,” the man nods. He steps around the counter and holds out a hand to shake. “Hannibal Lecter. And you are?”

“Will Graham,” Will smiles, shaking his hand. He doesn’t meet Hannibal’s eyes, he rarely meets anyones. “I work security here, so let me know if anyone gives you any trouble.”

“Of course. Not fond of eye contact, I take it?” Hannibal asks when he lets go of Will’s hand. Will finally looks up, into the dark eyes. There’s something behind them that he can’t quite place, behind the outward kindness the man is clearly trying to exhibit.

“Sorry. Eyes are distracting. They say too much, not enough. I’m sure you understand. People are much like antiques, each one has a story, but not all of them are, well, stories that should be told. Others are rich in interesting history, but… you know what? Never mind, I’ll stop rambling,” Will shakes his head. 

“Please, Mister Graham, I would enjoy hearing what you have to say. You’re completely right, eyes are very distracting, and tell too much. It’s so easy to see people’s sadness, or their anger, or their happiness, through their eyes.” Hannibal flashes Will a smile, showing sharp teeth. 

Will gives the man a quick look up and down, taking in his outfit for the first time. The suit has to be expensive, it’s perfectly tailored to fit the man’s lean figure. The suit itself is dark gray, with dark blue plaid, and Will thinks it’s an interesting choice. The tie is a blue and gray paisley, with hints of purple in it. It’s a very odd combination of patterns, that’s for sure, but Will has to admit it works for Hannibal for some reason. 

Will looks back up and sees Hannibal is staring intently at him. “What do you see in  _ mine?”  _ he mutters. He isn’t looking for an answer, he’s mostly just joking, but Hannibal smiles. 

“I see someone who has resigned themself to the life they are currently living because they feel there is no other option.”

“That’s a bold assumption,” Will says, crossing his arms. 

“Do you enjoy your job, Will? I personally didn’t enjoy mine, so I opened this shop. I used to be a surgeon, but well, that’s a story for another time. Then I became a psychiatrist, but part of me felt as though I was doing more harm than good. Here I am now.”

“Well, then should I be calling you  _ Doctor  _ then?” Will dodges the question he was asked, not wanting to get into his whole life story with a complete stranger. It seems as though this stranger doesn’t mind doing that with him, though.

“Not at all, you may call me Hannibal. I’m no longer practicing medicine or psychiatry, so no need for formal titles. You didn’t answer the question, though.” Hannibal tilts his head forward slightly.

“Yes, I enjoy my job, which reminds me that I should get back to it. It was nice meeting you.” Will turns to go.

“Please come back any time, I would enjoy talking to you more about human nature, as well as antiques. Perhaps you can come back after your shift and take a closer look, see if there’s anything that catches your eye,” Hannibal offers.

“Sure, I’ll think about it.” Will walks out without another word. Something about that man, Hannibal Lecter, does not sit right with him at all. He may just be a mall cop now, just a regular security guard, but his days of working on the police force linger. He has high empathy, always has, can read people like a book, but that man was like reading in a different language. Not impossible if he has a translator, but definitely not an easy task, either. 

He steps back onto his Segway and continues to roll around his area of the mall. A few people ask him for directions, which he gives. He hands out a few dog stickers to kids that walk by. He rolls past Build-a-Bear Workshop, just to make sure there aren’t any altercations over the last bear skin in one of the bins, or other the stuffing blower. It does happen. He gives a wave to Abel Gideon, who is currently sewing up the back of an over-stuffed unicorn, and he gets a smile in return. Will looks longingly through the window as he passes the bins of plushie skins, wishing he could go in and make a stuffed dog. It’s always too busy in there, and by the time he’s off the clock each night, he always just wants to go home. Maybe one day he’ll get one of those dogs and dress him up like a fisherman. That day is not today. 

Passing the newsstand where Fredde Lounds works, he hears a cough, which isn’t real and is only to disguise the word ‘pig’ that falls out of her mouth. He’ll give her that, even if he’s not a real officer anymore. 

“Morning, Freddie,” he nods at her. She just rolls her eyes. 

When he passes the movie theater, he sees Jimmy and Brian walking out with their popcorn buckets and drinks in their hands. Will stops in front of them and when they look away from each other and see him, they turn around and walk briskly in the other direction.

“I saw you guys!” Will calls out. He doesn’t chase after them, but uses his radio to call Jack back at the security office. “We were right, just saw Zeller and Price leaving the theater. Over.”

Jack’s voice comes staticky through the walky talky. “Of fucking course. Whatever. Everything going good over on your end? Over.”

“Yeah I’m good here. No problems at all. Well except Freddie Lounds calling me a pig, but that’s nothing new. Over.”

“Get back to work, Graham. Over and out,” Jack says. 

Will sighs and continues his rounds, but really nothing at all is happening and store employees can get a hold of him if they need to, so he finds himself back outside Lecter’s antique store. Now, later in the morning with the mall bustling a bit more, there are people coming and going, leaving with different items, or sometimes nothing at all. Will pretends he is not at all hanging out outside the shop, making circles around the kiosks. 

“Graham, what are you  _ doing?”  _ The young girl, who he thinks is named Abigail, working at a scarf kiosk asks him. “You’ve been circling me for ten minutes now, it’s getting kind of weird.”

“Shit, sorry. Uh, have you met the owner of that shop yet?” Will asks, gesturing at Lecter’s shop. 

“Yeah, he seems nice. He bought a couple scarves from me, though I think he’s going to use them as pocket squares,” Abigail shrugs. “You stalking him, or something? Is he suspicious?”

“That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Anyways, sorry, I’ll stop circling you.” Will starts to roll his Segway away from her kiosk but she calls out to him.

“It’s fine, I don’t mind.”

“Well, I’m gonna go get a coffee, anyways.” Will goes to the Starbucks a few stores down and parks his Segway outside, going in and buying a black coffee. He has no idea what any of the things on the menu are, and usually he would just go back to the security office, but with staff stretched so thin, he doesn’t have anyone to ask to cover, and Jack Crawford would yell at him for leaving his post. 

He steers his Segway one handed as he sips his coffee. He passes the ice cream shop where Alana works, and raises his coffee hand in greeting. She gives a small wave and a smile in return. Then he passes the arcade, sees kids cheating at games, and keeps going. Without even realizing it, he ends up back in front of Lecter’s antique shop, once again circling Abigail’s kiosk. 

“Why don’t you just go talk to him?” Abigail asks. She’s sitting on a stool, doing a crossword from one of the newspapers from Freddie Lounds’s newsstand.

“I already did. He seems weird, but I can’t help but want to know more about him,” Will sighs. He stops his circling and looks down at the crossword over her shoulder. “Need help with that?” 

“I’m good. Thanks, though.” 

Will nods and starts circling again. 

“Doesn’t that thing run out of battery?” Abigail asks, not looking up from the paper. 

“Eventually,” Will shrugs. He knows he’s starting to get on the young girl’s nerves, so he goes off to take another circle around his part of the first floor of the mall. He passes Claire’s, where Miriam Lass is piercing a young girl’s ears in the window. He passes Hot Topic, where Margot Verger is ringing up a kid with blue hair. He never really understood why Margot works at the mall her father owned, but her brother took over instead of her, and she became manager at Hot Topic. He supposes it’s more out of choice than anything. She seems like the type to like that kind of store, if he’s being honest. 

“Graham!” Margot calls out. He stops. “I think you’d look pretty cool with green hair, what do you think? Wanna buy some bleach and dye?”

“No, but thanks, Margot,” Will laughs. He keeps going. 

Passing Build-A-Bear again, Gideon calls out to him.

“Now, Officer Graham, I know you want to build one of these bears. You seem very interested in what’s going on in here every time you pass. I’ll even let you cut the line,” Gideon smiles. 

“Maybe another time, Abel. Also, I’m not an officer, you don’t have to call me that.”

“Well, when you come to your senses I will have the stuffing blower and a heart ready for whatever animal you choose,” Gideon says. Will keeps making his rounds. 

Every single time he tries to go in another direction, he ends right back in front of Hannibal Lecter’s antique store. Something keeps drawing him to the man with the perfect face, and the smooth voice, and the fancy suits. He really isn’t sure what’s drawing him there, or why. The man is attractive, Will won’t deny that. But he’s also hiding something. Will knows that. 

The next time he finds himself outside of Hannibal Lecter’s shop, the man is waiting for him at the entrance. Will tries to pass him quickly, not even glancing at him, but Hannibal steps out in front of his Segway. 

“You have been lingering in front of my store all morning and into the afternoon. I cannot help but wonder why,” Hannibal says. 

“Just making my rounds.”

“And rounds you have made. Specifically around the kiosk right outside my door. Several rounds. I cannot help but feel as though I’m under police surveillance. Is this a stake out, Will?” 

“I’m not a real cop,” Will says. He feels heat rising on the back of his neck, embarrassed that he’s been caught in his stalking. “I’ll leave you alone, then.”

“Please, do not feel the need.” Hannibal shakes his head, and puts a hand over Will’s where he’s holding the handle of his Segway. Will looks down where their hands are touching and feels the need to yank his back, away from the contact. Maybe lack of personal space is a European thing, Will has no idea. He just waits for Hannibal to keep talking. 

“When are you done with your shift, Will?” Hannibal asks, looking up at his face. Will does not indulge him in the eye contact he’s seeking. Instead he looks at his watch. 

“Two hours.” Will’s voice comes out quiet, not at all as confident as he wishes it would. 

“Very well. Then I would like to ask if you would be interested in getting coffee with me. In two hours. My treat, of course.” Hannibal’s voice sounds like an honest to god cat purring the words at him. 

“I, uh, yeah. Sure. Should I meet you here when my shift is over?” Will asks. 

“Yes. Now please, do not let me keep you from doing your job.”

Will swallows and nods. He leaves Hannibal’s shop. 

_ What the fuck is going on?  _ Will asks himself. He has no idea if he has just been asked out on a date, or not. What could that possibly mean? The man he’s been as good as stalking for the better half of the day, has just asked him to get coffee. A man that Will has strong reservations about, and yet… he accepted? He never hangs out at the mall longer than needed, but he’s going to stay for a date? Just coffee between friends? They’re not even friends, they’ve talked to each other twice. 

Will goes and hangs out by the arcade for the next two hours, making sure no one tries climbing into the claw machines. If he plays Stacker for more than half the time, well, that is no one’s business but his own. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! Thanks to everyone who has read so far. I'm having fun with this one.

On his way back to the security office to clock out and gather his things, Will bumps into Beverly Katz. 

“Hey, Will. Done for the day?” Beverly asks. 

“Yeah, you?” 

She nods. “Didn’t see you at all. Can’t believe Zeller and Price were both sick today. I had half the second floor to myself.”

“I saw them leaving a movie, but yeah. Whole east side of the first floor.” Will opens the door to the security office and lets Beverly in before him. They park their Segways in their spots and plug them both in. 

“Well, Crawford’s off tomorrow, so I’m in charge of assignments. Anywhere in particular you want?” 

Will doesn’t even take a second to think about it. “Same as today is fine. I like that area.”

“You like Alana Bloom’s ice cream shop,” Beverly grins. Will knows she’s teasing him, that his crush on Alana is known to quite literally every mall security guard, but he ignores her. “But sure, I’ll put you back there.”

“Cool.” Will goes to his locker and takes off his radio, shutting it off and plugging it in to charge for the night. He takes out his jacket and shrugs it on. 

“A few of us are going out for drinks right now if you want to join us,” Beverly offers. 

“Ah, I’d love to but I actually have a… I have plans.”

“A date? You’d only be blushing like that if it’s a date. Spill,” Beverly says. 

“I don’t know what it is. It’s coffee with the guy that owns that new antique shop. I don’t think it’s a date,” Will shakes his head. He and Hannibal didn’t get off to a great start, and if Hannibal isn’t completely weirded out by Will, Will is a little bit weirded out by him. 

“Is he hot?”

“Yes.” Will doesn’t deny it. 

“Does he seem like he’s… you know?”

“I don’t know. It’s hard to tell.” Will shakes his head. The hand touching was something, but that doesn’t mean someone automatically attracted to someone else. His suits are a little eccentric, but that doesn’t make someone gay. It’s impossible to know. 

“Well, you need to ask him if it’s a date. Then text me if it is. Actually, don’t because that would be rude. Unless it’s not a date, then you can text me.” Beverly nods at that decision. “If you don’t text me, I’ll assume it’s a date.”

“Right, well. I gotta get going. See you tomorrow?” 

“Sure thing, Graham.” 

Will zips up his jacket, covering up his uniform, and shoves his hands into his pockets. He walks across the mall to Hannibal Lecter’s shop, passing by Build-A-Bear and once again being stopped by Abel Gideon. 

“Off for the night? I’ve got a puppy with your name on it, Will. I know how you like dogs,” Gideon says. “I’ll tell ya what, the outfit is free.”

“Not right now, Abel. I have an appointment,” Will says and keeps walking. Something about Gideon is very off putting to him, but he pushes down those thoughts and keeps walking. 

Abigail is closing up shop for the day when her kiosk comes into view. She looks up at Will as she’s pulling the walls down around the kiosk shelves. “You again?”

“Sorry, I know. And tomorrow too. Got the same assignment,” Will grins. He walks into Hannibal Lecters shop, but instead of Hannibal at the counter, he sees a short round man with dark hair and a beard. 

“How may I help you, sir?” The man asks, a little too cheerful. 

“Uh. Is Hannibal around?” Will asks, taking a look around the shop. It’s hard to see around the shelves, and cabinets and furniture. 

“Yes, he’s in the back right now. Just a moment.” The man disappears behind a curtain and Will hears quiet voices. 

“Thank you, Franklyn. You’re good here while I go for the night?” Hannibal’s voice carries through the curtain. “You can always call me if you need anything. Remember to lock up when you close.”

“Of course, Mr Lecter.” 

Hannibal comes out from behind the curtain, Franklyn following close behind him. 

“Hello, Will.” 

“Hello, Hannibal. Ready for that coffee?”

Hannibal nods and pulls his coat on. That looks expensive too. “Perhaps dinner, instead? I am quite hungry.”

Will looks at him, meeting his eyes for once to see if anything gives away his intentions, but Will has no such luck. The man may actually be impossible to read. That doesn’t sit right with Will. Not at all.

Still, for some reason, he agrees. “Yeah, I could eat.” 

“Wonderful. I am new to this mall, so I am curious if there are any good places to eat, or if I should just have you come to my house so I can cook for you,” Hannibal says. 

Will frowns. He just met the man. He knows he should not accept an invitation to a strange man’s house, a man who could probably easily poison him or something with the food. Will shakes his head. “I know a place.” 

Outside the shop, Abigail’s still finishing up. 

“Hey, you’re Garrett Hobbs’ daughter, right?” Will asks. 

She nods. 

“Does he still own that restaurant up on the third floor?” 

“Yes.”

“Thanks.” 

Will leads Hannibal towards the restaurant and once again, they pass Build-A-Bear. 

“Officer Graham, is this the appointment you were talking about? Oh I am sure he wouldn’t mind if you stopped and built a dog,” Abel Gideon calls. 

“No thank you,” Will responds. Gideon is getting on his nerves about that. He asks nearly every day, every time Will passes. Sure, Will wants to, but he’s not a child, and he doesn’t need to.

“Will, if you would like to, ah, build a bear, I would certainly be okay with that,” Hannibal says. Will searches for any chance Hannibal may be mocking him, but he comes up with nothing but sincerity. 

“Really?” Will doesn’t let anything show in his voice. 

Hannibal drops his voice to barely above a whisper. “That man seems to be quite persistent. If you were to build your bear, I am certain he will end up leaving you alone.”

“Uh. Okay. Sure.” 

After months of looking at it through the window, Will walks into the shop and picks out the dog he’s been wanting. 

“Excellent choice, Officer Graham. Now, first you are going to pick a heart out of this bin, then bring the animal over to the stuffing machine.” Gideon gives him instructions through the whole process, and Will turns around and realizes that Hannibal has also picked out a stuffed animal to build for himself. 

So this has to be a date then, Will is sure of it. But he won’t ask. Not a chance. No chance in the world. But here he is, at Build-A-Bear with another man. 

Once stuffed and sewn up, Will brings his dog over to the clothes and finds a fisherman’s outfit, complete with a vest, waders, a pole. He adds rubber boots, a flannel shirt, and a baseball cap as well. It looks just like him when he goes out fishing. He smiles at the end product. 

Hannibal puts his cat in a tuxedo, and sparkly shoes. They don’t speak during the entire thing and Will finds it very weird. If it’s a date, shouldn’t they be talking? He doesn’t know, he rarely goes on dates. 

Will takes his finished dog to the checkout line, and Hannibal puts a hand on his shoulder. “Allow me. I’m the one that talked you into this, so I will pay.”

“Oh, you really don’t have to. I’ve been eyeing this guy for months now. I just needed that final push to do it,” Will protests. 

“Nonsense. Please.”

At the register, Abel Gideon says, “Now, Will, I did promise your outfit would be on the house.” He gives a total for both stuffed animals, and Hannibal hands over a bunch of cash. 

“I’m buying dinner, then,” Will says, as they’re walking out, each carrying a cardboard carrier. 

“Very well.”

Will takes them up to the third floor where Hobbs’s Bar and Grill is. He hasn’t eaten at the mall in a long time, but there’s something about the food at this particular restaurant that makes Will always want to eat there. 

They sit down in a booth across from each other and Will decides he has to ask. 

“So, what is it? Just… two guys going to Build a Bear and dinner together?” 

“Well, I was hoping it could be a date, but if I have been presumptuous or too forward by hoping that, then please tell me now,” Hannibal says. 

“How about we see how dinner goes, and I’ll let you know. I mean, I hardly know you. Actually, I don’t know you at all.” 

The waitress comes by to take their drink orders. Will orders a Coke and Hannibal orders water. She nods and walks away and Will looks down at the menu. 

Hannibal puts his elbows on the table and leans forward. “So that man that works at the teddy bear shop. He’s been bothering you?”

Will shrugs. “He’s nice enough, but he’s been hounding me to come in for a while now. He gives me the creeps.” 

“I will admit I was also very put off by his demeanor, as well.” Hannibal looks down at the menu in front of him. “What would you recommend?” 

“Any of the burgers are good. The boneless wings are amazing. Uh, the ribs are good. Anything, really,” Will answers honestly. Really, all the food is like nothing he’s ever had before. Hobbs does something different with the meat, but Will has no idea what. “I am going to get the ribs today, I think. You can try one if you decide to get something else.”

“I think I will go for a chicken salad today, but yes I would like to try one of the ribs,” Hannibal agrees. They both set their menus down, and Will looks down at the table. He knows Hannibal is looking at him, but Will refuses to meet the other man's eyes.

“Can I ask why you asked me out? I mean, it’s not like I’m all that cool.”

“You should be kinder to yourself. I enjoyed our short conversation in my shop today. You were not scared to tell me I was being too bold with my assumptions, and I wish you hadn’t stopped yourself when you were giving me the antique analogy while talking about humans,” Hannibal smiles. He reaches across the table and puts a hand over Will’s. “Plus, you are not bad looking, either, if I must say.”

Will feels his cheeks start to go red and he shakes his head. As much as he wants to, he doesn’t pull his hand out from under Hannibal’s. The man still gives him a bad feeling, but Will thinks that he might just be too critical of him. He’s being honest about what he expects from Will, what he sees in him. Maybe Will has just become too closed off in his small circle that he has to think everyone’s out to get him. Maybe he should stop thinking that way.

The waitress comes back and saves Will from having to think of a response. She drops off their drinks and takes both of their orders, eyeing their conjoined hands before walking off to bring their orders to the kitchen. 

“Is that Will?” comes a voice from across the bar. 

Will turns his head and sees Zeller, Price, and Beverly sitting at the bar together. Zeller must have been the one that spoke. Will ducks his head and pretends he didn’t see or hear them, but it’s too late because all three of them are making their way to the table. 

“Well, well if it’s not Will Graham,” Brian Zeller says. 

“Thought you two were sick?” Will raises an eyebrow, looking back and forth between Zeller and Price. 

“You knew we weren’t, don’t play that game,” Jimmy Price answers. “So who’s this?”

“Hannibal Lecter. Pleased to meet you,” Hannibal smiles. He lets go of Will’s hand to stand up and shake Brian’s and Jimmy’s. When he gets to Beverly, he raises her hand to lightly kiss it. _So he’s a gentleman,_ Will thinks. 

“Sorry, are we interrupting something?” Brian asks. He turns to look at Beverly and Jimmy. “I think we’re interrupting something here, guys.”

He winks at Will and pushes the other two back to the bar area. 

“Sorry about that. Coworkers,” Will explains. 

“Not a problem at all.” Hannibal takes a sip of his water. “So, tell me about yourself. I take it you like dogs and fishing.”

“Yes, well, I suppose I should like dogs considering I have six at home,” Will grins. Hannibal raises an eyebrow and Will smiles wider. People are always taken aback when he mentions his collection of strays and he finds it comedic. “And yes. Fishing is one of my hobbies. What about you?”

“Well, as I told you, I used to be a surgeon, then a psychiatrist. I have collected antiques for years now and have decided to open up a shop here in the mall. I enjoy cooking, and would consider myself to be a fairly good cook. If you decide this goes well, and can be considered a date, I would love to have you come to my home so I can cook for you. I also hunt on occasion.” 

Will did not expect that last part. The man looks so clean and pristine, he doesn’t seem at all like the outdoorsy type. If he hunts, then maybe he wouldn’t have too much of an issue with fishing. Maybe Will could share that with him. _You’re getting ahead of yourself, Graham,_ he tells himself, and shakes the thought. 

“Any pets?” Will asks. 

“Yes, I have a cat, actually.” 

“Cats are cool,” Will nods. He isn’t much of a cat person, but he likes them anyways. He prefers dogs, is all. 

The food arrives and their conversation is momentarily shut down as they start to eat. Will takes a bite of one of the ribs and the meat falls right off the bone. He practically moans at the taste. 

“Are they really that good?” Hannibal asks, a smirk on his face. 

“Yes. Try one,” Will says, pushing the plate towards Hannibal. 

Hannibal takes a bite and Will watches his face to gauge his reaction. There’s something on his face that Will really doesn’t understand. Almost as if a lightbulb has gone off in Hannibal’s head, but that doesn’t make any sense. It’s just ribs. Will decides to let it drop without saying a word. 

“Yes, these are very good. I may have to speak with the chef and ask how he does it so I can attempt to replicate them at home,” Hannibal says. He picks up his fork and starts to stab at his salad. 

“If you make me ribs like these then fuck a date, I might just marry you,” Will jokes. 

Hannibal just smiles and continues to eat his salad. 

When they’re finished and the waitress drops off the check, Will puts his card down on the table before Hannibal can get the chance. Will saw him trying to reach into his pocket for his wallet, but he wouldn’t let the man pay for everything today. 

The waitress returns and Hannibal stops her, asking if he could speak with the cook, and she nods and says she’ll be right back. The man that Will recognizes as Garrett Hobbs comes walking out of the kitchen, right up to their table. 

Hannibal stands to shake his hand. “Those ribs were fantastic. Might I ask what you did to cook them?”

Will watches Hannibal’s eyes dig into Hobbs’s own and the cook looks like he’s about to start sweating. Will thinks that’s weird. Hobbs shakes his head. “Sorry. Secret family recipe.” 

“I understand,” Hannibal nods. “Can’t give them all away. Once again, wonderful cooking.”

“Thank you,” Garrett Hobbs nods and hurries back to the kitchen. 

The waitress comes back with Will’s card and the receipt for him to sign. He leaves a tip in cash and slides his card back into his wallet. They get up and start walking out towards the parking lot, their bear carriers in their hands. 

“I had a nice time, Hannibal. I think it’s safe to say that this _date_ went smoothly,” Will says. 

Hannibal smiles. “Yes, well. Perhaps we should see each other again soon, then?” 

“Sure. I’m, uh, patrolling the same area of the mall tomorrow.” Will scratches the back of his neck nervously.

“Then I shall see you tomorrow,” Hannibal nods. 

They’re not quite out of the building yet, and it seems both of their cars are parked in the same lot so they walk side by side, standing quite close. Will feels Hannibal’s hand pull his hand into his own and Will doesn’t protest it, lacing his fingers through Hannibal’s. It’s weird, but not unwelcome. 

At Will’s car, he almost doesn’t want to remove his hand from Hannibal’s but he knows he has to. He smiles weakly. “This is me.”

“Could I ask for your phone number? I know we will see each other tomorrow, but it may be useful in the future,” Hannibal says. Will nods and just hands Hannibal his phone, a new contact open. Hannibal hands it back and Will nods. 

“I’ll, uh. I’ll text you,” Will says. He quickly adds, “If you want.”

“I’d like that, yes.” 

Will nods once more and unlocks his car. Hannibal keeps walking off towards his own. Will sees him get into a Bentley and wonders just how much money this guy has. He must have made a lot as a doctor, because there’s no way he’ll be making much as an antique seller at the mall. 

At home, his dogs are going nuts and he quickly lets them outside, allowing them to roam around while he changes his clothes into something more comfortable, and fills their bowls with food. They come inside and immediately go to their dinners, and Will brings his Build-A-Bear carrier over to his bed and opens it up. 

Inside isn’t his fisherman dog, but rather the cat covered in hearts wearing a tuxedo that Hannibal had chosen for himself. Will frowns. He picks up his phone and snaps a photo, then finds Hannibal’s new contact and sends it to him, along with a message. 

_looks like we had a mix up at the table :(_

He sets his phone down, not wanting to seem too eager for a response, and goes to watch TV. He watches the news, some dumb sitcom, then catches the second half of _Titanic._ He doesn’t pay attention to any of the things on TV, but rather thinks about this man that showed up out of nowhere. Hannibal is the first person in a long while to actually show an interest in Will, and he came out of thin air, opened his shop up on the same day Will happened to be assigned to his side of the mall. 

And not only did Hannibal not mind, but he seemed to enjoy Will’s rambling. That doesn’t happen often. Most of the time he starts talking and people stop listening. Not Hannibal, though. He watches Will and listens with his undivided attention. Not only that but he _actually_ wants to see Will again. Will shakes his head, remembering how skeptical he was of the man earlier in the day. All of that changed. Now he just really wants to get to know Hannibal Lecter. 

Will gets ready for bed, lets the dogs out for a bit and then finally checks his cell phone again. There’s a message waiting for him from Hannibal. 

_That is rather unfortunate. I fear the only solution is that you come over to my home for dinner tomorrow night and we can do a swap there._

Will sends a message back. 

_did you do this on purpose so i would agree to dinner? why don’t we just bring them to the mall tomorrow and switch after our shifts?_

He sets his phone down on the bedside table and gets into bed. The dogs curl up on all sides of him and he tries to fall asleep. After fifteen minutes, his phone chimes with another text message. One that Will would rather ignore and not deal with, but knows he can’t. 

_May I call you?_

Will sighs and types out a response.

_sorry but not tonight, i’m about to sleep. i’ll come over for dinner tomorrow._

He sets his phone to silent and lays in bed, staring at the ceiling for what feels like hours. Really, it’s probably only a few minutes, but the time feels overly drawn out. 

Morning comes too fast, but the memory that he gets to see Hannibal again makes him nearly jump out of bed. The dogs lift their heads, annoyed at the sudden movement, then drop them back down to fall back asleep. He checks his phone and sees a message from Hannibal from right after he shut his notifications off. 

_Do not feel as if you have to come over. If you would prefer we switch at the mall tomorrow, then that would be perfectly fine with me. Sleep well._

Will sighs and sets his phone back down so he can get dressed for the day. He lets the dogs out and feeds them before he leaves, but purposefully forgets the stuffed animal in his bed, deciding he’ll just have to come back home to get it later, and then have no choice but to go over to Hannibal’s house for dinner. 

Just like every morning, he drives to the mall, walks into the security office and goes to his locker. 

“Hey, Will, you mind being on foot today?” Beverly asks, not looking up from the desk. “You have less space to cover, anyways.” 

“Yeah, that’s fine,” Will sighs. Sometimes the security guards need to be on foot on higher traffic days because it makes it easier to get through crowds, but he prefers to be able to use his wheels. Whatever. He pours himself a mug of coffee and leans over the desk Beverly sits at. 

“How’d your date go?” Beverly asks, finally looking up at him. “You are grinning like an idiot. You sleep with him?”

“Bev! No, it was just dinner. And Build-A-Bear… that’s it!” 

“Two grown men went on a Build-A-Bear date? Oh! Shit! That reminds me. Abel Gideon? You know him?”

Will nods. 

“Found murdered, insides hollowed out, filled with stuffing and sewn back up. Dressed up in a prison uniform. Just like a Build-A-Bear.” Beverly shivers at the thought. “Someone had it out for him. Left no evidence according to the police, but who knows how much they’ll actually tell us.”

“That’s fucked up. Man, I just saw him last night.” Will shakes his head and checks his watch. “I gotta go.”

“Hey, by the way, Will. I know your new BF’s shop is in your assigned area. Make sure you keep on task.”

“Not my ‘BF.’ It was one date. But of course, I will stay on task.” Will nods and walks out. 

He’s not going to stay on task, not at all. He’s itching to go see Hannibal, say hello to the man that he feels so drawn to. He still doesn’t quite get it. It was only one date, just dinner. They didn’t even kiss, but still… Will would not mind one bit if Hannibal wants to kiss him. 

On the way past Freddie’s newsstand, he stops for the first time ever to actually buy a newspaper. 

“Here for the Build-A-Bear Butcher story?” Freddie stands up from her stool to grab a newspaper for him. He looks at the cover page. Sure enough, a photo of Abel Gideon, one taken while he was on the clock, helping someone stuff a bear. 

“Is that what they’re calling the killer or what they’re calling Gideon?” Will asks.

“Read it for yourself. I don’t report the news, I just sell the papers.”

Will pays for the paper and nods at Freddie before heading off. He walks past the Build-A-Bear which has business as usual, but the employees appear sad and the line isn’t quite as long as it usually is this time of morning. He keeps walking, paper in hand at his side, until he reaches Abigail’s scarf stand. 

“Hey, Will,” she nods, not even looking up from her cell phone. Will knows he still has time to kill before the earlier shift ends and he actually has to get on task, not that he has much to do anyways. 

“Abigail,” he responds. 

He keeps walking, right into Hannibal’s shop without even thinking about it. 

“Oh, Will. Good morning,” Hannibal says from behind the counter. 

Will smiles. He sees his fisherman dog sitting on a shelf behind the counter and remembers. “Morning. I forgot your cat at home, so I guess I’ll just have to go home and get it after work before I come over for dinner.” 

Hannibal’s eyes light up. “So you will come over for dinner, then?” 

Will nods. He holds up the newspaper. “Did you hear about this? I haven’t read it yet, but Beverly told me. Uh, Beverly was the woman at the bar last night,” Will adds quickly. “Do you mind if I read it here? I have a few minutes.”

“Not at all. Please,” Hannibal says. He gestures towards an armchair behind the counter and Will hesitates for a second before walking around the other side and sitting down. “Terrible what happened to him, isn’t it?” 

Will crosses his legs in the chair and leans forward just slightly. “Sure, but… why did this killer put him in a prison suit? I don’t think this killer did it for no reason.”

“What makes you say that?” Hannibal leans back against the counter, crossing his arms and watching Will as he reads the story. He finds that the moniker “Build-A-Bear Butcher” was coined by Freddie Lounds herself, and doesn’t make an appearance anywhere in the article. 

“I, uh, I used to work in homicide when I was a police officer. I just kind of… it was my job to figure these things out, really.” 

Will reads the article, wishing he could see the crime scene in person. There’s no photo of the corpse, just a quick description of it, how they have no leads, no motive, nothing. There’s nothing he can do to figure out why this is happening. Maybe he should call the police station and see if they need any consultants. He used to be on the force, left on his own terms, maybe they’ll let him at least look at the body if he asks. He knows he shouldn’t ask.

Hannibal comes and sits on the arm of the chair, looking over Will’s shoulder. “Do you think he may have been put in the prison jumpsuit because he is guilty of something?”

“I mean, sure the dude was weird, but I don’t think he’s a criminal, or anything. I guess we’ll have to see. Have they interviewed his family?” Will asks, reading the article more. “Ah, it says here his wife and kids were killed in a freak accident some years ago.”

“That is quite interesting. Could he have had something to do with that? Perhaps this killer knew more about that freak accident than anyone else does.” 

Will shakes his head, but not in disagreement. “I mean, maybe? God, it’s times like this I wish I didn’t leave the force, and could see all of this evidence myself. Back in New Orleans I had a pretty damn good closure rate.”

A hand is placed on Will’s back and he looks up, but doesn’t shrug it off. “Why did you leave the force, Will?”

“I got stabbed in the shoulder,” Will shrugs. “I came up here to see about teaching at the FBI academy, but ultimately I decided it wouldn’t be a good fit. Something about the people there, everything too serious, plus I feared I would get too involved in the cases I was going to teach about, it’s a whole long thing. I’m sorry, I’m sure you don’t need to hear about all this.”

“Will, I have already told you I like hearing what you have to say,” Hannibal says. He rubs his hand up and down Will’s back, and Will sighs. It’s been a long time since anyone has really touched him. He would probably consider himself touch-starved if anyone asked. He leans into the armchair Hannibal’s sitting on, his arm pressing against Hannibal’s thigh. “Do you have to get to work soon?”

Will sighs again, this one not as content as the previous one. “Yeah, I better go. I might come back on my break, if that’s alright?” 

“That is more than alright, Will. I will see you later.”

Will nods and stands up, instantly missing the hand on his back. It’s going to be a long day, maybe even a long life, if he is already longing for this man’s touch. He walks out of the store, and when he passes Abigail, he drops the newspaper in front of her. 

“Crosswords all yours,” he says. 

“Thanks.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Leave comments please! They're the only reason I keep writing/help me decide which of my WIPs to work on.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is a mess. I'm sure there are plenty of typos, but I havent read this over to check. Just hitting submit like it's english class and I'm two minutes away from a deadline.

Will decides to head to Build-A-Bear, just to see how everyone’s doing. The lines are short, even though the murder didn’t even take place there. Will figures that shops all over the country are likely suffering from this, whether usual shoppers are aware of what they’re doing, or not. 

“Hey Frederick,” Will says to the greeter. “How have you guys been?”

Frederick Chilton sighs dramatically. Will doesn’t like him that much, too intrusive, would’ve been a better psychiatrist than Build-A-Bear employee, but Will pretends to be friends with him. “We’re getting through it. Abel was… well, he was weird, if I do say so myself. I’m not entirely surprised he made someone mad enough to get murdered.”

“That’s… an interesting thing to say about a coworker,” Will points out. He can’t deal with this right now. He wonders if Chilton’s been interviewed by the police. If he hasn’t, he should be, Will thinks. “Well, I gotta get going. Take care, you guys.”

Shaking his head, he walks off, through the crowd of people. He counts down the hours until his lunch break, trying to stay as far away from Hannibal Lecter’s shop as possible until then, so he doesn’t seem too eager. In truth, it’s killing him. He doesn’t think he’ll ever be able to properly do his job ever again as long as Hannibal still has a business in this mall.

“Will?” Beverly's voice comes from his radio. 

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“We’ve got a situation at Hot Topic. Margot didn’t give any details, but requested you. Care to check it out?”

“Yeah, I’m on it.”

Will heads off towards the Hot Topic and when he gets there, Margot is standing outside the entrance, clearly waiting for him.

“Hey, Will.”

“Margot, what’s going on?” Will asks, concerned. He peers into the store, but sees no commotion.

“Care to step inside? There’s no real situation, I just wanted to talk to you about something.”

Will raises an eyebrow, but follows her into the dark store. He recognizes a My Chemical Romance song playing over the overhead speakers as he passes by racks of movie and band merchandise. Margot goes around the counter, and Will leans against the opposite side, waiting for Margot to talk.

“So, everyone knows about your crush on Alana Bloom…” Margot starts. Will groans, but Margot continues. “Now, you _did_ express interest in her first, so I’ve been holding off on asking her out because it would be rude to you. But I heard from a little birdy you were seen holding hands with that new antique shop owner last night.”

“And?”

“And is it true? Because if it is, and you’re seeing someone else, I’m asking Alana out myself,” Margot tells him. 

“Go for it, Margot. You didn’t have to wait for me to back off. She has never shown an interest in me,” Will shrugs. “Is that really all you needed me for? I have a job to do.”

“Nothing ever happens in this mall,” she mumbles, but waves him off anyways. 

Will goes and finds Jimmy, who has the same assignment, tells him he’s gonna go get a coffee, and asks if he can cover the space for a bit. 

“Yeah, bring me one too.” 

Back in the security office, Beverly looks up from her desk. “You on break?”

“Just getting coffee. Jimmy’s covering for now.”

Beverly nods, and Will grabs two disposable cups and lids, and fills them both. 

“What was the problem at Hot Topic?” Beverly asks.

“Margot wanted to ask me if she can ask out Alana Bloom.”

“Hot Topic Margot has a crush on Ice Cream Alana?” Beverly asks. 

Will nods. “Appears so. Well, I better get back to my exciting job,” he says sarcastically.

Beverly nods and Will leaves again. Will gives a cup to Jimmy when he passes him by, and he keeps walking all the way to Abigail’s scarf stand. 

“How’s the crossword going?” Will asks when he’s within hearing range.

“Haven’t even started it yet. Business is booming today.”

“Really?” Will asks in disbelief. He can’t imagine people buy that many scarves, but he won’t think too hard about it.

She nods. ‘Your boyfriend’s shop is doing pretty good, too.” 

“Not my boyfriend,” Will shakes his head. He glances into the shop and can see Hannibal ringing someone up at the counter. Hannibal’s eyes meet his and Will sees the hint of a smile on his lips, and his eyes light up. 

“Tell him that,” Abigail rolls her eyes. “Don’t you do anything here? Is there like nothing you can do besides hang out next to my stand and stalk the new guy?”

Will lets out a huff of air. “No, there’s not a whole lot for me to do around here.”

“Okay, then why don’t you just hang out in his shop and wait for something to happen then,” Abigail suggests. 

“I shouldn’t.”

“What’s the difference between hanging out in a store or playing in the arcade for your entire shift?” Abigail scoffs. 

“How do you know about that?”

“The entire mall knows.”

“Fine.”

Will walks right into Hannibal’s shop and to the counter, where Hannibal is finishing up a transaction. 

“Are you on break already?” Hannibal asks once the customer leaves. 

Will sighs. “No there’s just nothing to do in this mall. I used to talk to Alana Bloom sometimes, but…” he trails off. How’s he supposed to say _but now I’m not interested in her because you’re a lot more interesting than she is_ without sounding weird? There’s likely no way to do it. 

Hannibal just nods. “Well, you are always welcome here. You should take a look around and see if there’s anything you like in my shop.”

 _I’m already looking at the thing I like in this shop,_ Will thinks. “Sure. Yeah, I’ll take a look around.”

He starts walking down the aisles, past old furniture, and trinkets. There’s a shelf of old books that he stops by, but doesn’t look at. He doesn’t want to buy anything from Hannibal’s shop. He’s sure there is nothing here he needs, but Hannibal suggested it and he doesn’t want to distract Hannibal from his work. He recognizes a dismissal when he hears it. 

Hannibal’s smooth voice can be heard from across the shop, helping another customer who has a question.

“Yes, if you want to bring it in, I can take a look. I can’t give you an estimate until I see it myself, I’m afraid.” 

The customer says something that sounds like gratitude, and walks out, leaving just Hannibal and Will alone in the shop. Will is stopped in front of a cabinet filled with jewelry when he feels a hand on the small of his back. He turns his head, and Hannibal is right next to him, their faces quite close. Will wouldn’t mind leaning in and kissing him, but he doesn’t think it would be appropriate. He turns back to look at the cabinet again. 

“See anything you like?” Hannibal purrs.

“Yeah,” Will nods. He swallows before adding, “but not in the cabinet.”

Hannibal hums in response to that and turns his body to face Will. Will turns and looks at him again, and Hannibal raises a hand to Will cheek, rubbing his thumb along his cheekbone. A breath hitches in Will’s throat and he looks up into Hannibal’s dark eyes.

Will’s radio goes off, a voice coming through it and he curses under his breath at the moment being ruined. “Will? It’s Beverly. We’ve got a situation at Hot Topic again. Margot requested you again.”

Will presses the button. “I’m on it, but I swear if it’s about Alana again, I’m not going to Hot Topic ever again. Even if there’s a real situation.”

“I definitely think it’s about Alana. She seemed pretty cheerful.” 

Will groans and looks at Hannibal, who dropped his hand at some point during the exchange. Hannibal says, “Well, I wouldn’t wish to keep you from your job. When’s your break?”

Will checks his watch. “I should be able to take it, uh, right after I see what’s wrong in Hot Topic. As long as it’s not a real issue, I guess.”

“Very well. I shall see you soon, then.” 

Hannibal goes back to the counter and sits down in the armchair Will had sat in that morning. 

In Hot Topic, once again there is no commotion, but a huge smile on Margot’s face. “So, Alana agreed to go out with me.”

“Can I just give you my phone number so you don’t have to keep calling the security office?” Will asks. He takes a pen and notepad from his pocket and writes down his cell phone number, leaving it on the sticker-covered counter. He also pulls a sticker of a golden retriever out of his pocket and sticks it between a TV show sticker and a band sticker.

“You don’t even care? Hey, we should go on a double date. Bring your new guy,” Margot suggests.

Will shakes his head. “I don’t think so.”

“Oh, come on, Will. It could be fun. Alana and I are going mini golfing tomorrow, you should tag along.”

“Me and him already had a date last night, and are having dinner at his place tonight. I really don’t think three dates in a row is normal.”

“You like him, though, so why not? Come on, it could be fun!” Margot tries. 

Will sighs. “I’ll run it by him, I guess. I don’t know why you want us intruding on your first date.”

“Oh it’s not going to be the first. We’re having dinner tonight.” Margot waves her hand, dismissing Will’s protest. 

“Alright. I will ask him if he wants to go mini golfing tomorrow. The place upstairs right?”

Margot nods. 

“Right. Well, I’m going on my lunch break now. Please do not call for me again. At least for half an hour.”

Will leaves, going to the security office to leave his radio and to tell Beverly he’s going on break. He thinks about the idea of Hannibal mini golfing in one of his fancy suits. Will knows he wears them every day, today he’s in another one, this one, just like yesterdays is plaid. A nice light blue shirt under a dark plaid jacket and waistcoat. His pants match the plaid jacket, his tie is once again paisley. Browns and blues in the plaids and paisley. Will realizes then that the shirt matches his own eyes. He wonders if Hannibal did that on purpose. 

“Going on break. Do not bother me,” Will says when he makes it to the office. He leaves his stuff in his locker and shuts it, then hurries out again, going straight to Hannibal’s shop. 

The short round man is behind the counter now, and looks up at Will when he walks in. 

“Hannibal here?” Will asks. 

Hannibal emerges from behind the curtain in back and says, “Hello, Will. Please, come on back. Franklyn, I’m taking my lunch break now. Please refrain from bothering us.”

“Of course, Mr Lecter,” Franklyn nods. 

Will knows he’s being glared at by Franklyn as he walks behind the counter to meet Hannibal in the back room. 

“How long do you have?” Hannibal asks. He leads Will past a few shelves that have duplicate items on them. There’s a door towards the end of the room and Will realizes it’s a small office, with a desk against the wall, and a safe on the floor, but not much else. There’s a desk chair in front of the desk, and an armchair in the corner. 

“About thirty minutes.” 

Hannibal nods and tells Will to sit. He leaves the office, and Will sees him open a mini fridge outside, and pulls out several containers. “I have brought enough for two. If you’re hungry.”

“Oh, sure.” Will says. Hannibal sets the containers down on the desk and opens them. 

“I have a homemade tortellini pasta salad, with tomatoes, kalamata olives, artichokes, and feta cheese. Then I have different types of sliced meats, cheeses, and breads, along with some assorted vegetables. As close to a charcuterie board as I can get considering I needed to pack it up to bring it here.” 

“Sounds great,” Will smiles. 

“Please, bring your chair closer to the desk. It is a tight fit, but I believe we can make it work.” Hannibal slides his own chair to one side to make room for Will, and Will brings his own forward. Their arms and hands brush when they reach for food, and forks, or napkins. 

“You made this salad? It’s really good.” 

“Yes. And I’m glad you think so.” 

The meat is like none Will has ever had before. Will figures Hannibal probably prepares all of it himself. He seems like the type of guy to make his own sausage.

When they finish everything, Will realizes that’s the first time he’s actually used his lunch break to eat lunch in a long time. He checks his watch and sees he still has fifteen minutes before he needs to go back to the security office to get his radio again. He wishes he could sit in Hannibal’s little office for the rest of the day, not worry about the boringness of the mall where nothing good ever happens. 

“So is it just you and Franklyn, then?” Will asks, leaning back in his chair, hands clasped over his stomach. Hannibal turns his chair and mimics Will’s pose.

“I have a few other employees, yes. If I can’t be here, then Franklyn is second in command, and I assign another worker to help him out.”

Will nods. “So you really just set your own hours then?”

“For the most part, yes. I do stay on call in case someone brings something in while I’m not here, but that hasn’t happened yet. We’ve only been open for two days now.” 

“So, when I’m done in,” Will checks his watch. “About three hours, you’d really just be able to leave then?”

“In theory, yes.”

“Cool.”

“Is that what you want? For me to have the same hours as you?”

“I mean. No. No, of course not. It’s just been nice, these last two days. Being able to stop in. This mall is boring,” Will sighs. 

“Well, Will. I would not mind being a source of excitement for your day,” Hannibal smiles. 

Will feels his cheeks start to heat up, and instantly wishes he didn’t say anything at all. He checks his watch, hoping he’s out of time, but he still has ten minutes. Hannibal reaches out and grabs Will’s hand before he can put it back on his stomach. Will is surprised by the sudden contact, and Hannibal holds Will’s hand in both of his own, thumb rubbing over the top of it. 

Will looks down at their hands, then up to Hannibal’s eyes. 

“Can I kiss you, Will?” Hannibal asks.

Will just nods, and Hannibal is leaning out of his chair, cupping Will’s cheeks in both hands and lightly pressing his lips to Will’s. Will brings a hand up to Hannibal’s neck and pulls him in harder, kissing back. It only takes a second before Hannibal is out of his own chair entirely, and is putting one knee on the chair between Will’s thighs. Will wraps an arm around Hannibal’s waist and tries to pull him down. Hannibal ends up with a hand on Will’s chest, with his knees both sides of Will’s thighs. 

It’s been so long since Will has been kissed and Hannibal is very obviously holding back a bit, which Will doesn’t want at all. Will wants more, to drag this man closer and never let him go. It’s only been two days and he wants this to last so bad.

Hannibal’s bending at a weird angle, and Will has his neck bent so he can face upwards, and it’s clear Hannibal is doing it to keep their lips connected, but to minimize contact between their bodies, and Will decides to pull down with the arm around Hannibal’s waist, so his hips drop down the Will’s. He knows they’re likely running out of time, and it wouldn’t do anyone any good if they both get hard now, but Will doesn’t stop Hannibal from rocking his hips against Will’s and Will moans into Hannibal’s mouth. 

“Wait, wait,” Will gasps, pulling his head to the side. Hannibal pulls back, and then out of Will’s lap, standing up. “Fuck. I would love to continue whatever that was, but I gotta get back to work.” 

Hannibal smiles weakly. “It seems I got a little carried away, I apologize.”

“Fuck, no. Don’t apologize for that. It was good, but really, I only have one pair of pants here and if we kept that up…” Will laughs. He can feel his heart trying to beat out of his chest, and his breathing is a bit heavier than normal. He can see that Hannibal is similarly affected, his hair a little messed up. Will wonders when he managed to get a hand in Hannibal’s hair, but he likes the sight of it. 

Hannibal reaches out and fixes Will’s own hair, making him look a bit more presentable. Will stands from his chair, adjusts his pants, and takes a few deep breaths, trying to push down his arousal. 

“I, uh, I need to go get my radio, and tell my boss I’m back on duty. I’ll be around if there’s nothing else for me to do,” Will says. 

“Of course,” Hannibal nods. He puts his hand on the small of Will’s back and leads him out of the office, through the hallway, and back through the curtain. The store is empty, except for Franklyn at the counter. Hannibal turns Will to face him, presses one last kiss to his lips, and then pushes him towards the door. Will walks out into the mall, touching his lips lightly as he goes.

“Hey, I saw that, Graham!” Abigail calls out as he walks away. He flashes her the middle finger, and instantly regrets it, but he’s late getting back so he can’t apologize. He’ll do it when he comes back, but he has to get back to the security office before Beverly sends out a search party for him. 

“I know, I know.” Will is saying when he walks into the office and to his locker to put his radio back on. 

“You are never late coming back from lunch, man,” Beverly says. She’s sitting at the desk eating a salad out of a tupperware. “You see your man?”

“Yeah,” Will says, nervously scratching at the stubble on his face. 

“Something happen?” 

Will’s face goes red again, remembering what had just happened in Hannibal’s shop minutes ago. “We kissed. No big deal.”

Beverly nods. “I won’t ask for details, but I will say that I’m happy for you, that’s for sure.”

“Thanks, Bev.”

“And hey, don’t be late when Crawford’s here. He won’t be as forgiving,” Beverly warns. 

“Yeah, yeah,” Will waves his hand in dismissal. He leaves the office and heads back out, stopping at Alana’s ice cream shop to get a cone. “Heard you got a date with Margot Verger.”

Will drops money into the tip jar as he says it, and Alana smiles. “Yes, well. I was wondering when she was going to ask me out. She’s in here almost more than you are.”

Will smiles, and takes his ice cream cone when she hands it to him. “Ah, she asked if I wanted to go on a double date with you guys. Told me to bring the guy I literally just started seeing yesterday mini golfing tomorrow night.”

“And did you accept?” Alana asks. 

Will remembers he hasn’t even asked Hannibal yet. “I said I’d ask Hannibal. I forgot to do that, though.” 

“Well, go ask him now, then.” Alana makes a gesture with her hands for Will to shoo, and Will leaves. On the walk back to Hannibal’s shop, he passes Freddie again. 

“Hey, you see the updates online? Gideon ended up being linked to like six unsolved murders. They found trophies in his house. Like driver's licenses and stuff,” Freddie says as he walks by. Will stops in his tracks. 

“Really? That would explain the jumpsuit. His killer knew him, then.”

“So it would seem.” 

“Thanks for letting me know,” Will nods. 

He eats his ice cream cone as he walks and when he reaches Hannibal’s shop, it’s almost gone. Franklyn is the only one in the store. 

“Sorry, sir, but could you eat that outside?” His voice is not kind at all, and Will can sense the man dislikes him for some reason. Still, Will goes and stands outside the door, next to Abigail’s stand while he finishes his ice cream. 

“Hey sorry for that earlier,” Will says to her. “That was rude of me.”

“It’s cool. I really don’t mind,” Abigail shrugs. “Please, everyone gives the finger, and I deserved it.”

“Still.”

“It’s fine.”

Will drops it and finishes his ice cream cone, then goes back into Hannibal’s shop. 

“Don’t you have a job to do? Instead of hanging out here and interfering with business?” Franklyn questions. 

“Nothing happens in this mall,” Will shrugs. 

“Still, we’re trying to run a business here.”

“Yeah. Listen, is Hannibal here?” Will asks. He doesn’t have time or patience for this man, or whatever his problem is. He just wants to ask Hannibal about the double date, and maybe kiss him some more until someone calls him about a problem somewhere else.

“No, he stepped out to get a few things. I think he might be back shortly. Maybe come back later.”

Will nods and walks away. He pulls out his cellphone to send a text to Hannibal.

_when will you be back at your shop? i wanted to ask you something but franklyn was being an ass to me and made me leave._

Hannibal replies a second later. 

_Perhaps twenty minutes? I will speak to Franklyn about his behavior when I return._

With that, Will decides to give the shop some space and goes to find Jimmy Price, who is in the arcade. 

“Playing pinball on the job, Jimmy?” Will asks. 

“Nothing ever happens in this mall, and don’t pretend you don’t play Stacker for hours.” Jimmy doesn’t look up from the game when he says it. Will stands there for a few minutes watching him and when the ball goes down, Jimmy steps out of the way so Will can take a turn. 

They do that, taking turns on each ball, until Will feels his cell phone vibrate in his pocket. 

_Back in my shop. Come into the back office when you get here._

Will claps Jimmy on the shoulder and excuses himself, going back to Hannibal’s shop. Franklyn is standing at the counter, elbows resting on the glass case, chin resting on his hand. He glares when Will walks around the counter, but doesn’t say a word. 

“Hello, Will,” Hannibal smiles when Will walks into the officer. He turns in his chair to face Will. “What did you wish to ask me about?”

“Oh, uh. My friends Margot and Alana asked me if we’d be interested in a double date tomorrow night. I said I’d run it by you. I know we already went out last night and we’re having dinner tonight, so if you don’t want to, I understand,” Will says. He scratches the back of his neck, and Hannibal just watches him, seeming to think about his answer. 

“Well, unfortunately, I do have plans tomorrow evening,” Hannibal says. Will’s face drops a bit, and Hannibal continues, “I was going to wait until dinner to ask you, but I suppose now would be the best time. I was wondering if you would be interested in attending the opera with me tomorrow?” 

“Oh, I’m… I don’t know. It’s not really my thing,” Will says. He shifts on both of his feet. He’s never been to the opera, he wouldn’t have anything to wear. Hannibal seems so refined and Will’s just a scruffy man covered in dog hair. 

“That is perfectly fine, Will. I will not pressure you into anything.” Hannibal turns and picks up one of the bags that Will hadn’t noticed are sitting on the desk. “Although, if you do change your mind, I did purchase you a few things that you could wear. Anything you don’t like, I can return. If you still do not wish to accompany me, these items are still yours, so do not feel obligated just because of these gifts.” 

“Hannibal, you didn’t have to get me anything. We’ve only-”

Hannibal waves a hand to cut him off. “Will, you are correct I did not have to do anything. I wanted to.”

“But why? We’ve known each other two days.”

“I enjoy buying things for people. I have more money than I could ever need to live comfortably and I do not have family to buy things for,” Hannibal says. He pushes the shopping bag into Will’s hands. “Please, at least look.”

“Okay. I’ll look.” 

Will holds the bag with one hand and pulls out a box, which Hannibal holds while Will lifts the lid. Inside is a black button down shirt. That’s not a big deal, Will supposes. He can wear that on multiple occasions, it’s not too fancy. Black suit pants sit next to the shirt in the box, and Will thinks that’s okay too. There’s a royal blue waistcoat, and a floral tie. Black pattern over a royal blue. Will can very clearly see Hannibal’s own personal touch. If Will doesn’t accept this, he could see Hannibal keeping the tie for himself. Blue waistcoat and a floral tie. These are the items Will is somewhat hesitant about. 

“I guessed your measurements. Usually I have a good eye for that sort of thing, but if anything doesn’t fit right, I would be more than happy to introduce you to my tailor,” Hannibal smiles. Will nods, not sure what to say. Hannibal turns around and picks up a bag that was laid flat on the counter, and pulls the plastic off to reveal a suit jacket. 

It’s a bit eccentric for Will’s tastes, that’s for sure. It’s the reverse of the tie: solid black under a royal blue floral pattern. The shawl lapels are the same blue as everything else. He can’t believe Hannibal really went to all this trouble for a date Will might not even say yes to. It had to have been expensive too, Will knows that. He reaches out and touches the lapel as Hannibal holds the jacket up for him to look at. 

“Hannibal, I really don’t know if I can accept all of this,” Will shakes his head.”It’s too much, too soon. We’ve known each other two days and you’re already buying me expensive gifts?”

“Will, the money is really not an issue to me. I will admit that this is as much a gift to me as it is to you. Should you accept my invitation to the opera, that means I would get to see you in this,” Hannibal says. 

Will really can’t believe the honesty of this man. The way he really seems to enjoy Will’s company, the things he says, the way he looks. All this, but Will can’t help but feel weird about it. Surely this man doesn’t do this for every person he takes out on a date. Hannibal seems to like him, but Will really can’t imagine why. 

“Listen, I’ll… I’ll think about it, okay?” Will says. 

“Please do.” 

Hannibal pulls the bag back down over the jacket, and sets it back down on the desk, on top of the box of other garments. He leans back in his chair, and Will feels awkward just standing there, not saying anything. He really, _really_ wants to go on the opera date with Hannibal, accept these clothes, give Hannibal what he wants, but he feels _guilty_ for wanting it so bad.

“I know we have only known each other for two days, but I will not lie and say I’m not very drawn to you, Will. If I’m too forward, or make you uncomfortable, please tell me and I will retreat as much as you need me to,” Hannibal says. 

“No, no. It’s all okay. I’m just not used to… any of this.” Will waves his hands to gesture that he means everything going on between them.

“And what are you used to?”

“People going on a single date with me and realizing I talk too much, or that I’m too weird. One night stands that I meet in bars and leave before I can fall asleep,” Will shrugs. “People do not tend to stick around.”

“Casual encounters with people who do not properly see your worth,” Hannibal observes. Will shifts on his feet. He almost wishes Beverly would call about a problem somewhere so he can get out of here, suddenly not wanting to have this conversation. “Personally, Will, I would not mind sticking around and seeing where this goes. Only if you feel the same way, of course.”

Will swallows and nods. “Yeah. I wouldn’t mind that either. It’s just…”

“Not something you are used to,” Hannibal finishes for him. He sits up straighter in his chair and then stands, which brings him into Will’s personal space. He speaks softly, “So you are aware, I did talk with Franklyn and tell him that you are welcome in this store whenever you wish. Even if I am not here and you would just like a place to sit, this back office is open for you if you choose.”

“Thanks. And I didn’t mean to seem like a snitch, but he’s been glaring at me every time he sees me. It’s a little weird.”

“Franklyn is someone I had known for several years. He actually used to be a patient of mine, and usually I would never cross any sort of boundary like giving a former patient a job, but he is a hard worker and knows a bit about antiques,” Hannibal explains, voice quiet. “With that though, I believe he took that overstepping of our boundary a little too far.”

“Meaning?”

“He has been making advances towards me.”

Will hums in response, drops his voice low and takes another step forward, so their breath is shared and their bodies are only inches apart. “So he’s jealous, then?”

Hannibal nods. “I believe so.” 

“Well, that is rather unfortunate for him, I suppose,” Will murmurs. 

“Yes, rather,” Hannibal agrees, voice just barely audible. 

Their lips nearly touch, but they’re interrupted by Will’s radio pulling them back to reality, out of their little bubble, in the moment they’ve created for themselves. Will jumps back as Beverly’s voice comes through. 

“No one’s seen you in like twenty minutes, dude. You better be doing your job.”

Will sighs and presses the button. “Is there a specific job for me to do?” 

“You’re not getting paid to make out with your new boyfriend, Will. Jimmy told me you left him to go see the guy,” Beverly says. 

“You mean the Jimmy that was playing _pinball?_ The same Jimmy that called in sick yesterday to see a movie with Brian? Sure, let me get back to work,” Will responds, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He looks at Hannibal, who is just watching him. “Sorry, I should go. Um, can I leave that stuff here for now?”

“I’m actually done here for the day and think I will be going home to start preparing for dinner soon. I can bring it home with me and you can collect it at my house.” 

Will nods. “Okay, yeah. Can you write your address down, or text it to me? I’ll call when I leave here after my shift.” 

Hannibal picks up a pencil from the desk, and opens up a notebook to a fresh page. Will sees drawings as Hannibal flips through it to find a clean sheet and realizes it’s a sketchbook, not a notebook.

“Are you an artist?” Will asks as Hannibal writes down an address and tears it out.

“I draw, yes. I will show you my work sometime, but I don’t wish for you to get in trouble with your boss,” Hannibal says. 

Hannibal pulls on a jacket, and collects the bags of things, then nods his head for Will to start walking towards the front of the shop. Franklyn once again glares when Will passes him, and Will turns to look at Hannibal, silently asking if he saw that. Hannibal nods, the smallest movement of his head, but Will sees it nonetheless. 

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Will says. He takes one of the bags from Hannibal so they each have a free hand, and Will, feeling bold, reaches out to hold Hannibal’s hand as they walk. 

It’s impossible to not feel the eyes on the back of his head, everyone in the busy mall watching them walk hand in hand through the crowds. They both ignore it, though Will has a feeling Hannibal is doing a bit better than he is. He’s noticed that Hannibal keeps a calm outward expression around other people. Even when they were kissing in the office after lunch, even in his dishevelled appearance, he kept a very calm demeanor, beyond the slight panting of his breath. 

At Hannibal’s car, he takes the bag out of Will’s hand and lays it across the back seat. “Thank you, Will. How much longer are you here?”

Will checks his watch. “An hour and a half.”

Hannibal nods, and they both look at each other. Hannibal’s back is up against his car, and Will is standing in front of him, only about a foot of space between them. 

“Well. Uh, I will see you later then?” Will scratches the back of his head. He’s about to turn to go, when Hannibal grabs a hand and pulls him back. Hannibal lifts his other hand to Will’s chin, and tilts his face up so their eyes meet, and Will closes his eyes and leans in to kiss Hannibal, much softer than earlier than day. Will has Hannibal pressed up against the car, and kisses him softly twice before pulling away.

“See you later,” Hannibal whispers. 

Will steps away and walks back towards the mall before Hannibal can even get in his car. He decides to go tell Margot they won’t make it to mini golf.

“Does he not want to see you three days in a row?” Margot asks as she folds t-shirts and re-stacks them on their shelves against the wall.

“No, actually, he already had plans for us for tomorrow. The opera.”

“Do you like opera?” Margot asks. 

“No. I haven’t even said yes to it yet.”

“Why not?”

“It’s not really my thing. And… okay, give me your opinion on this, please,” Will starts. Margot looks at him expectantly. “He bought me a suit. Three-piece, looks expensive as hell.”

“Sounds like you got yourself a sugar daddy, Will,” Margot smiles. 

“I don’t… I don’t know about that,” Will shakes his head.

“So what? He has a lot of money apparently. Let him buy you things.”

“But you don’t think that’s too soon? Expensive gifts. _Clothes._ I’ve known the guy for two days,” Will tells her. 

“He moves faster than some, sure, but I really don’t think it’s anything to worry about. It’s a suit, not a ring,” Margot laughs. 

“God, don’t even go there. What if he proposes over dinner tonight?”

“Will, you’re spiraling,” Margot says, placing a hand on his shoulder. “There is nothing to worry about. Just tell him to take things slower if it’s bothering you.”

“That’s the thing? I like it but I know I shouldn't because we’ve known each other for _two days!”_ Will nearly shouts.

“Yeah, yeah I got it, Will. Two days. And tomorrow it’ll be three, a week from tomorrow it’ll be ten. Just go with it,” Margot sighs. “I think I’ll end up proposing to Alana by the end of the month if it makes you feel any better.”

“You’re kidding, right?”

Margot shrugs, but doesn’t say anything else about it. That just makes Will nervous. If Margot would do it, then what’s stopping Hannibal from doing it? 

“Okay, well. I’m gonna go now.”

Will hurries out of the door, and goes to find literally anyone else to talk to, but he doesn’t know what to say to anyone else, so he just stands next to the arcade until the end of his shift. 

He walks into the office and tries to walk right past Beverly, but of course she sees him. There’s no way she wouldn’t.

“Hey, man. I’m writing a note saying you can’t work in that area anymore if you keep that up.”

“What’s the difference between hanging out in the arcade playing games, or hanging out in a shop talking to someone?”

“The difference is that the shop employee called and complained that you were loitering while Hannibal wasn’t even there,” Beverly sighs. “He said you were interfering with business.”

“Oh _fuck that,_ Beverly. Hannibal already fucking talked to him about how I’m allowed in there at any time. He only wants to get rid of me because he’s in love with Hannibal and _that’s_ the business I’m interfering with,” Will says. He’s agitated beyond belief because of this Franklyn guy. _‘Hard worker,’ my ass,_ Will thinks. Hannibal should do something about him, but Will doesn’t know what.

“If we get more complaints from him, I’m gonna have no choice. Since you’re my friend, though, I’ll put you back there tomorrow. When Jack gets back there’s no guarantee, though.” 

“Thanks, and I know.”

Will plugs in his radio, and goes to his locker to pull on his coat. As he walks out to his car, he takes a deep breath and hits dial on Hannibal’s contact.

“Hello?”

“Hey, I’m heading out now. I’m gonna stop at home to change and get your Build-A-Bear, then I’ll be over,” Will says into the phone.

“I will see you soon, then.”

Will hangs up and gets in his car. He takes a second to wonder what the fuck he’s even doing, then he drives home because it really doesn’t even matter. Maybe now it’s only been two days, but Margot’s right. A suit today, versus a suit ten days from now. A date tonight versus a date a month from now. Hannibal wants to stick around, Will wants to stick around, and since that has established, why worry about what is too soon. A suit is not the worst thing in the world to be gifted. An opera date is not the worst date in the world. He just needs to stop worrying so much about whether or not he deserves all the good things he’s gotten, and just let them happen instead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also [Here](https://twitter.com/oldandloaded/status/1332916393063419905?s=20) is a link to a drawing of what I sort of envision Will's suit to look like. I know I probably didn't do it justice in the description.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of suicide at the end of this chapter, as that's what the death was staged as. Read with caution please.

Will gets to Hannibal’s house after changing into a dark button down and his nicest pants, carrying a bottle of wine that he picked up on the way. He let the dogs out and had fed them before leaving, even let them outside again, and apologized that he won’t be home until later. He almost hopes he won’t go home at all tonight, but he doesn’t want to get his hopes up. He has Hannibal’s Build-A-Bear tucked between his arm and his side, the bottle of wine in his hand and hesitates before he knocks.

Even Hannibal’s house is a clear sign of his wealth and Will feels less bad about the expensive suit. Still, he feels like he’s underdressed to be at Hannibal’s house, if that’s even possible. He raises his free hand to knock just as the front door opens.

“I thought I heard you pull up. Hello, Will,” Hannibal smiles. It’s a very warm smile, as if seeing Will is the best part of his evening. From the doorway, Will can smell something coming from the kitchen, and it smells amazing. “Please come in.”

Will nods and walks into the doorway, looking around the foyer of Hannibal’s house. A gray cat stands in the hallway, staring at Will from several feet away. 

“That would be Percival. He is not fond of visitors, but maybe you will be an exception,” Hannibal smiles. He walks over to the cat, and Percival winds his way through Hannibal’s legs, rubbing his head on his pants as he goes. 

Will follows Hannibal through the house, and Hannibal leads them to a large kitchen. He holds out his hand for the bottle of wine and Will gives it to him, watching as he examines the label. 

“This should pair just fine with dinner. Would you like a glass now?” Hannibal asks. He’s already moving to a cupboard and pulling out wine glasses. Will nods, then sets the Build-A-Bear on the counter. Hannibal looks at him. “Not very talkative tonight?”

“Oh uh, I… Sorry,” Will says. He scratches at the back of his neck nervously. 

“It’s nothing to apologize for, Will. You’ve had a long day, have you not? Conversation can be exhausting especially after a full day of work.” Hannibal hands him a glass of wine and sips his own. 

“Yeah,” Will agrees. “Oh. Did you know Franklyn called the security office and tried getting me in trouble for interfering with business? My supervisor wanted to take me off the area completely because of it but I told her that I’m welcome in your shop.”

Hannibal frowns. “I’m very sorry Franklyn did that. If you need me to speak to your supervisor, I will.”

“I don’t think that’ll be necessary,” Will shakes his head. “I think she believed me.”

“Well, I will have to do something about Franklyn nonetheless,” Hannibal says. 

Will has a bad feeling about that. The way Hannibal says it almost sounds like he doesn’t at all mean that he’ll talk to the man. 

“Don’t, like, fire him or anything,” Will says just in case. 

“Of course not,” Hannibal responds. “Would you like to move this conversation to my study? The meat still has a little while in the oven.” 

“Oh, sure,” Will nods. He picks up his glass of wine from where he set it on the counter and follows Hannibal into his study. There’s a large desk with a chair, a loveseat and two armchairs, and Will doesn’t know where he should sit, or where Hannibal’s going to sit, so he just stands in the doorway. He takes a look around and sees tall bookshelves, filled top to bottom. There’s a fireplace along one of the walls, and tall windows against another. 

Hannibal seems to sense Will’s hesitance and puts a hand on the small of his back to lead him to the loveseat. Will sits on one of the cushions and leans into the armrest, away from Hannibal. 

“You said you’d show me your drawings,” Will says. 

Hannibals face lights up. “Yes, just one moment.”

He stands up and walks over to the desk, and Will watches him over the backrest. Hannibal brings a thick black book back to the loveseat and sits down next to Will, their thighs touching. He rests the book’s spine where their thighs meet and opens the cover. 

When Hannibal opens the sketchbook, Will is left speechless. The book is filled with graphite drawings of all sorts of things. Will recognizes recreations of famous works, he recognizes parts of Hannibal’s shop, the study, the kitchen, other rooms and people Will doesn’t recognize. There are a few drawings of Percival in different positions throughout the entire book. Hannibal comes to the last filled page and Wills recognizes himself. 

“Oh,” Will says.

“I hope you don’t mind. You have very nice features that make for beautiful drawings. I did this very quickly while you were outside my shop yesterday…” Hannibal says, looking down at the page. 

“I don’t mind. Your drawings are amazing, Hannibal.” Will lightly grazes his fingers over the lines that make up his glasses. 

“I would very much like to draw you with your knowledge sometime if you are comfortable.” 

“Yeah, yeah of course,” Will nods. 

Hannibal closes the book and sets it on the other side of him, then picks up his glass of wine again and sips from it. Will feels awkward, sitting so close, just barely touching, unsure what is appropriate between them. They made out in Hannibal’s office earlier, but Will knows it was a moment of passion, not at all planned, something that had gotten carried away. The two kisses before Hannibal left the mall were light and soft, and Will had not entirely been thinking when he did it. Now he’s thinking too much, and he has no idea what to do.

Seemingly sensing this, Hannibal brings his free hand to take hold of one of Will’s, bringing their conjoined hands to rest on his knee. Hannibal’s breath is hot against his ear when he whispers, “I’m very glad you came over.”

Will shivers at that and tries to pretend he didn’t, but he does it again when he feels Hannibal’s lips graze over his jaw. He swallows and says, “Me too.” It comes out strained and shaky and Will mentally kicks himself for not being smoother. He’s a goddamned adult after all, he’s been with several sexual partners in his life, but for some reason Hannibal affects him so much more. Like he’s never even been touched before and like he’s _nervous._ Which sure, maybe he hasn't been with anyone in some time, and maybe he _is_ a bit nervous, but he _shouldn’t be._ Not like this. Not in the way his voice is telling him he is.

Something about Hannibal’s ever present calmness is more off putting than calmness should be. Still, it doesn’t put him off enough to go running, far away from the man next to him. Instead, there's something that wants him to pull Hannibal closer, to know him. To _really know him._ In a way Will has never known anyone, really. He wants to know about Hannibal’s life, what he likes, how he ended up living in this fancy house in Baltimore, and working in an antique shop at the mall. 

Percival, Hannibal’s cat, comes walking into the room, rubbing along the doorframe as he passes it. He ends up next to the coffee table in front of them, rubbing his head against one of the legs, before hesitantly moving forward and doing the same to Will’s leg, leaving fur all over his pant leg. Hannibal reaches down and scratches at the top of the cats ears, and when he pulls his hand away, Percival jumps onto the armrest next to Will, stretching his neck out to bump Will’s face with his own, before deciding to crawl into Will’s lap and lay down. 

“He likes you,” Hannibal murmurs. Will lightly pets the cat in his lap, and Percival begins to purr. 

“Are you one of those people that lies and says their cat doesn’t like anyone, just so when the cat shows affection, your guests feel special?” Will accuses. He does that with some of his dogs. He knows the tricks. 

Hannibal’s mouth turns up in the faintest smile, and he says, “I guess I am not as sneaky as I had thought.”

“No. You’re not. It was a nice try though,” Will smiles. “Does it usually work?”

Hannibal hums in thought, but Will knows it’s not genuine thinking. “I host dinner parties quite often, and he is very particular about who he spends his time with. So yes, if I ever have a colleague or friend that frequents my home more than other dinner guests, then Percival will choose to stand by them or myself rather than those who are strangers. A few people do believe they are more special.” 

“Sorry to foil your plans. How will I ever know about my importance if it’s not told to me by the resident cat?” Will says, sarcasm dripping from his voice. There’s a timer going off in the kitchen and Hannibal releases Will’s hand and stands. 

“That would be our dinner. Please.” Hannibal gestures for Will to follow him, and Will lightly nudges Percival off his lap before standing and following Hannibal back to the kitchen. “The dining room is right around the corner, please take a seat and I’ll be there shortly.”

Will goes to the room Hannibal pointed to and takes a look around, noticing the large table, the plants along the blue walls, the glass doors leading out into Hannibal’s backyard. He takes a seat in front of one of the set places and waits patiently until Hannibal brings in two plates, setting one down in front of Will. The food is ornately arranged, and looks and smells delicious. Hannibal gives some sort of description, but Will hardly listens. 

“What kind of meat is it?” Will asks as Hannibal takes his seat across from him. 

“Pork loin, and cow’s heart,” Hannibal says. Will nods and starts cutting into the piece of pork in front of him, taking a bite. He notices Hannibal is watching him as he does it, and Will figures that’s just what cooks do. They want to see how their meals are received. 

“This is delicious,” Will says through a mouth full. It’s not like any pork he’s had before, and he assumes it must have been expensive, probably carefully chosen. He eats part of the heart, which isn’t something he’s ever had before, and it’s just as good as the pork. 

“I’m happy you think so,” Hannibal smiles, and begins eating his own food. 

While they eat, Will decides he wants to ask some questions, so he starts off with something easy. “So where are you from? Your accent isn’t American.”

Hannibal smiles. “You would be correct. I am originally from Lithuania, but I have spent time in both France and Italy.”

Will nods. “I'm originally from New Orleans, but my dad and I moved around as a kid. I ended back there when I was a police officer, but when I left I decided to come up here. I’m living in Wolf Trap, Virginia now.” 

“I wasn’t aware that you were driving from that far. I suppose the mall is more of a midpoint for us,” Hannibal says. 

“It’s alright. It’s worth it,” Will says. He means it, too. “So what brought you here, then?”

“An internship at Johns Hopkins.” 

“Do you ever think about going back home?”

“To Lithuania? Not particularly. To France or Italy? Yes, all the time. I do take time off to go once in a while when I can. Either to Florence or Paris, usually.” 

Will nods. “I’ve never even been out of the country.”

“Maybe I’ll have to take you sometime,” Hannibal says. 

“You don’t have to.” 

“Of course I don’t _have_ to, but if I _wanted_ to?” Hannibal asks. He sets down his fork and knife and pushes his empty late forward, before leaning forward against the table. “There are many things I would _like_ to do with you, Will. Should we continue to see each other, that is.” 

“I suppose we’ll have to see,” is what Will decides to say. He doesn’t want to commit to anything so soon. Yes, he’d like to keep seeing Hannibal, to see where these dates take them, but he doesn’t want to agree to a trip to _Paris fucking France_ after knowing Hannibal for _two days._ He thinks about what Margot said about how she might propose to Alana by the end of the month, and he knows she was exaggerating, but it hasn’t helped him with his panic over the idea of a committed relationship. 

“You do think a lot, don’t you?” Hannibal observes. Will looks at him in confusion, but Hannibal waves a hand and explains, “I was a psychiatrist, as I told you, and I’m very adept at picking up on individuals who have too much on their mind.”

“Right,” Will mutters under his breath. Fucking psychiatrists. “It’s nothing, I just get lost in my different trains of thoughts without realizing it.” Which isn’t entirely a lie, though this time he didn’t go off on any long thought tangents, just kept it right on the same topic. He won’t tell Hannibal what he was thinking about. Not yet. 

Hannibal stands and collects both of their plates and disappears into the kitchen. He returns a moment later with a plate of chocolate covered strawberries. 

“I hope you are ready for dessert,” Hannibal says, setting them down in the center of the table, between their two seats. 

Will nods and reaches out to grab one. Hannibal must have taken his time with them, drizzling white chocolate over the dark chocolate of the perfectly encased strawberries. Will groans when he bites into one, and Hannibal smiles in response. 

They eat their dessert in near silence, and when they’re all gone, they go back into the study to sit back down with glasses of wine. Will sips his own slowly, knowing he might have to drive home soon, even though he really doesn’t want to. Hannibal starts a fire in the fireplace and sits next to Will, putting an arm around his shoulders. Will rest his head on Hannibal’s shoulder, and he feels safe and warm like this. 

“I should probably go soon,” Will says after a very long silence. 

“You don’t have to,” Hannibal says, he runs a hand up and down Will’s thigh, and it seems innocent enough, but Will does know where that usually leads. Oh god, and he _wants_ to. He wants to stay, and he wants Hannibal to take him to bed, but he knows he should go home to the dogs, get a good night’s sleep before work tomorrow. But he really, really wants to stay. 

Will puts his hand over Hannibal’s, and stops the movement to set them on his knee. “I really want to stay, but the dogs,” Will sighs. “If it were earlier I could have called my nearest neighbor to check on them, but I don’t want to bother them at this hour.” 

Still, Will makes no attempt to move off the couch. He can sit here for a little while longer if he wants to. There’s no harm in that. 

“If you insist. Although, if you wish to stay tomorrow night after the opera, you may,” Hannibal says. “Or perhaps I could go home with you.”

“And sleep with six dogs?” Will smirks. He lifts his head off Hannibal’s shoulder and looks up at him. Hannibal’s eyes have something that looks like fondness and adoration in them, and Will really wishes he had accepted the invitation to stay tonight.

“It’s hardly an issue. Unless you don’t want me to,” Hannibal whispers. He leans forward and catches Will’s lips with his own. 

Will whispers against Hannibal’s mouth, “You can. I want you to.” He presses his lips back to Hannibal’s and brings a hand to the back of his neck. Hannibal has his hands on Will’s hips, and is pulling Will into his lap and Will pulls back. “I really have to go.” 

“Do you?” Hannibal breathes.

Will rests his forehead against Hannibal’s and closes his eyes. He sighs, “Yes. I do.”

“I’ll walk you out then,” Hannibal says. Will nods and then pulls himself off the couch. He nearly trips on Percival who was sitting a few feet away watching them. In the hall, Hannibal exclaims, “Oh! I need to get your suit and your fisherman. Meet me at the front door.”

Hannibal disappears up the stairs, and Will goes to find the front door. He shrugs on his jacket, pulls his old beanie out of the pocket, and pulls it over his curls. When Hannibal returns, he’s carrying garment bags with Will’s suit, and another bag with the Build-A-Bear in it. Will takes them both and stands awkwardly in the doorway for another minute, really not wanting to leave. 

“Well, I’ll, uh, I’ll see you in the morning, then,” Will says. 

“Stop by early if you wish,” Hannibal smiles. 

Will nods, and then kisses Hannibal one last time before hurrying out the door and to his car. He carefully lays the suit in the backseat, and sets the bag with the stuffed animal in the passenger seat. At the front door, Hannibal is still standing there, illuminated by the light in his foyer. He’s holding Pervical in one arm, and lifts his other hand to wave to Will. Will waves back and pulls out of the driveway, heading for home.

In his home in Wolf Trap, Will lets the dogs out to roam while he hangs up the garment bags on the shower rod, wanting to keep them where the dogs can’t reach, but not wanting to worry about clearing room in a closet. After letting the dogs in, while they’re busy eating their dinner, he opens the bag with the Build-A-Bear, and pulls it out, setting it on his bed. He sees it’s not the only thing in the bag. Not by a longshot. Will sees a piece of paper, which he pulls out. Hannibal’s handwriting is perfectly neat, perfectly aligned on the piece of stationary, beautiful cursive. Of course it is. 

_Will,_

_Please accept these other gifts, and do not tell me I did not have to. I hope you like everything._

_Hannibal Lecter_

Sighing, he reaches into the bag and pulls out the first box he sees. Inside are cufflinks, probably antique. They’re silver, with a blue stone set in the centers. He thinks it might be lapis lazuli, but he doesn’t know for sure. Another box contains a watch. A nice one, much nicer than Will’s current one, which has a fake leather band that is starting to fall apart. There’s a box of cologne, and Will knows just by looking at it that it must have been terribly expensive. He really doesn’t know why Hannibal goes through the trouble. The last box is from Build-A-Bear. Will opens it to see a tuxedo just like the one Hannibal chose for his own, and he smiles. Not that he needs it at all, but he does think it’s cute. 

He sends a text to Hannibal.

_thank you. for everything._

Will doesn’t get a response until morning when he’s waking up to go into work. Early, of course, so he can see Hannibal before his shift actually starts. 

_You’re welcome, Will. I will see you soon._

Will smiles. He takes the dogs out for a bit, then feeds them before leaving. 

When he arrives at the mall, Beverly greets him in the office. 

“Foot day again,” she tells him. Will sighs. He misses his Segway. “And Hannibal Lecter stopped by this morning to clear everything up about his employee ratting you out. You’re working in the same area again, but only if you promise to behave.”

“I promise,” Will says. He gets ready for the day and hurries to Hannibal’s shop, saying hello to Abigail as he passes. 

Inside the shop, Hannibal is aligning some items on a shelf, then opening the jewelry cabinet to rearrange a few things. He doesn’t notice Will right away, but when he does he has a wide smile on his face. 

“Good morning, Will.”

“Good morning,” Will smiles back. 

Hannibal closes the cabinet and tilts his head towards the counter, and Will goes over and sits down in the armchair behind the counter. Hannibal pulls him back up and sits down instead, then, to Will surprise, Hannibal pulls him down to sit sideways across his lap. Hannibal wraps his arms around Will’s waist and buries his face into Will’s neck. Will thinks Hannibal is actually smelling him, the way he inhales against the skin. Will suddenly feels self conscious. 

“This can’t be appropriate,” Will murmurs. He doesn’t actually want to move, though. 

“There’s nobody here,” Hannibal says into Will’s neck. Will can feel him placing feather-light kisses along his neck, and jaw. Will closes his eyes and leans into Hannibal’s body. 

After a minute, there’s the sound of a throat clearing and Will’s eyes fly open. When he sees a police officer standing in front of them, he jumps out of Hannibal’s lap in embarrassment about being caught in such an affectionate position. Hannibal reaches out and grasps his wrist, and Will thinks that if he didn’t, he’d be out the door by now. 

“Are you the owner of this shop?” The officer asks Hannibal.

“I am. How can I help you?” Hannibal smiles. He doesn’t stand up from where he sits and Will stands awkwardly next to him, shifting on his feet. He doesn’t try to pull free from Hannibal’s grip on his wrist. 

“One of your employees, sir. He was found dead this morning,” the officer says carefully. Will’s eyes go wide and he looks down at Hannibal. Someone who is usually so calm, now appears to be in a state of shock. Will puts a hand on Hannibal’s back. 

“Franklyn?” Hannibal asks quietly. “It’s Franklyn, isn’t it? He’s my only male employee.”

“Yes, sir.” The officer has a sympathetic look on his face. “Right now, it appears to have been a suicide.”

Hannibal raises a hand to cover his mouth, and Will wants to pull him in for a hug as tears begin to fall from his eyes. “Well, I knew he was… I used to be his psychiatrist, way back when, before I opened this shop… I knew he was troubled, but I didn’t think… Oh, I should have seen.” 

“Hannibal, you couldn’t have known,” Will murmurs. “He seemed fine yesterday. You couldn’t have seen.” 

“I’m very sorry for your loss, sir. I’ll leave you two to process this,” the officer nods and leaves the shop. 

Will sits back in Hannibal’s lap, and wraps his arms around the crying man’s neck, putting a hand on the back of his head, and pulling him into the crook of his neck. Hannibal’s arms make their way back around Will’s waist, and Will lets Hannibal hold onto him for as long as he needs to. 

After a few minutes, Hannibal whispers, “You need to get to work, don’t you?”

Will sighs. “Yeah, but I can stay a few more minutes.” 

Hannibal shakes his head, but doesn’t make any attempt to let Will go. 

“Close up for today and go home. You shouldn't force yourself to work after that news,” Will says. 

“Maybe you’re right.”

“I’ll tell Beverly the situation and I’ll go home with you,” Will proposes. He knows Beverly will understand, and that Jimmy Price will be more than okay with taking over Will’s area. Will gets out of Hannibal’s lap and leans down in front of him to wipe the tears off Hannibal’s cheeks, then presses a kiss to his forehead.

“Okay. Please,” Hannibal nods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That ending may seem out of character, but, before you yell at me, it's Hannibal being a sneaky, manipulative bastard. He's a good actor. Also I wish I could keep writing this chapter isntead of leaving it here, but I have promised on twitter I'd get a mall cop chapter out tonight and I am already way past the amount of time I allowed myself to write tonight.
> 
> Leave comments and kudos please.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one has taken so long! Was having a hard time with motivation for this, but I finally found it and I hope you enjoy.

Hannibal grabs his bag from the back room, locks up his shop, and they walk past Abigail’s scarf stand without saying a word. Will can feel her watching them, and he knows she wants to ask what’s going on, but she doesn’t. The two men walk to the security office hand in hand, Will trying to offer Hannibal a bit of comfort in any way he can. 

“Will, what’s up?” Beverly asks when they both walk in.

Will lowers his voice. “Hannibal’s employee was found dead this morning. Is it cool if I take the day off so I can take him home? I don’t think he should be alone.” 

Beverly looks over at Hannibal, who is still clutching Will’s hand in his own, and nods. “Yeah, that’s fine. Jimmy owes you after the other day, anyways, so he can cover you.”

“Thanks, Bev.”

Will leaves his radio to charge, then pulls on his coat, and they leave the security office together. 

“I’m parked in the East lot today,” Hannibal tells him when Will starts walking towards his own car in the West lot.

“Okay, well I’m driving you to my house in my car,” Will says. He quickly adds, “if that’s okay with you?” 

“I’ll have to go home before the opera to change and get our tickets,” Hannibal says. “Maybe we can have dinner too.”

“You’re still up to going?”

“It would be a pleasant distraction to do something I enjoy, yes,” Hannibal shrugs. 

Will supposes that makes sense. Hannibal may have lost someone today, might be upset, but he can’t just stop living because of it. 

“I can drop you off at your car later, then meet you at your house,” Will says. He reaches out and takes hold of Hannibal’s hand again. The other man seems to be doing a lot better now, the initial shock of the news starting to die down. Will can’t read his expression anymore, can’t feel anything coming from him. He doesn’t get how Hannibal can shut himself off so quickly and easily. 

They don’t speak much during the car ride, but Will keeps one hand in Hannibal’s, resting on the center console, and driving with the other hand. When they pull up outside of Will’s house, he says, “I do actually have six dogs, by the way. I wasn’t exaggerating.”

“I didn’t think you were,” Hannibal replies. 

“They might try to jump on you,” Will warns. He does not know why he’s stalling. 

“I can handle myself, Will.”

“Okay,” Will says. He takes a deep breath before letting go of Hannibal’s hand and getting out of the car. He turns to make sure Hannibal is following and goes to unlock the front door, letting the dogs spill out onto the porch. Will looks behind himself to see if Hannibal’s has changed his mind yet.

The man is just smiling as dogs try to jump up to greet him. He pets each of their heads, and lets them rub their bodies all over his legs, leaving his pants covered in fur. Most people don’t react that kindly to being swarmed by them, and Will feels warm inside, despite the chilly fall air. 

“Alright, alright, leave him alone. _Winston, down,”_ he calls out. 

Hannibal fights his way through the circling dogs, and finally makes it up Will’s porch steps. Will is still standing in the open doorway, and Hannibal steps in close to him. Will feels nervous all of a sudden and he turns around to go into the house, letting Hannibal and the dogs follow after.

“I’m changing my clothes. Did you want something more comfortable to wear?” Will asks, going to his dresser across the room.

“You sleep in your living room,” Hannibal points out, looking around Will’s small house. Will feels a little self-conscious with Hannibal here. His own house is nowhere near as well-kept or fancy as Hannibal’s. There’s boat motors and fishing supplies laying around, books laying forgotten on different surfaces, dog toys and beds scattered around the floors. He doesn’t know why he brought Hannibal here. 

“Uh yeah. I prefer to be able to see the ground floor in case someone comes up to the house. A bit of paranoia, I guess,” Will says nervously. He’s rubbing the back of his neck, and not meeting Hannibal’s eyes. 

“It’s perfectly understandable,” Hannibal says, and it sounds genuine. Will relaxes a bit. He doesn’t want Hannibal to think he’s crazy, not this soon. 

Will nods. He asks again, “Did you want to put on something else?” 

Hannibal shakes his head. “I will be fine in this.”

He takes off his suit jacket and tie and lays them over the back of Will’s couch, and Will gets a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt out of his drawer. 

“You can sit down wherever. I’ll be right back,” Will tells him. He goes into the bathroom to change his clothes and when he emerges, Hannibal is laying in the center of his bed with his hands behind his head while he stares at the ceiling. He glances over at Will when he comes out of the bathroom and stops next to the bed. 

Will hesitates for a second before laying down next to Hannibal, turning on his side to look at him. 

“Okay?” Will asks. 

Hannibal nods.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Will asks. 

Hannibal shakes his head and reaches out to pull Will closer to him, before deciding to push Will onto his back and rest his head on Will’s chest. Will just lets Hannibal manoeuvre him however he wants. 

“Thank you, Will,” Hannibal whispers. He wraps an arm around Will’s stomach, and Will brings his arm around Hannibal’s back and holds onto him. 

Hannibal falls asleep after a while of them just laying there, and Will almost feels weird for watching him sleep like that. He knows he shouldn’t feel so good about Hannibal’s sleeping on his chest like this, considering the man is just doing it because he seeks comfort after finding out a friend died. 

Some time later, Will wakes up, realizing he had also fallen asleep. Hannibal is sitting up in the bed next to him, against the headboard, a sketchbook in his lap, drawing. Will lifts his head to see that the drawings on the page are of his sleeping face. Noticing Will is now awake, Hannibal closes the book and sets it back in his bag on the floor. 

“Hm, sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep,” Will mumbles. Hannibal must have taken Will’s glasses off his face at some point because they’re sitting on the nightstand now. He rubs at his eyes and rolls over so he’s resting his cheek on Hannibal’s thigh. Hannibal puts a hand on Will’s head and runs it though his hair. 

“To be fair, neither did I,” Hannibal says. “You’re a good pillow.”

“Yeah? That’s good,” Will yawns. 

“You’re still tired,” Hannibal points out. 

“I’m fine.” But he feels his eyes trying to close again. He never sleeps well, and any chance he gets, naps are always appreciated. How he gets through his work days is beyond him. 

“You don’t sleep much, do you?” Hannibal asks. He continues to run his fingers through Will’s hair, lightly massaging his scalp. Will sighs, appreciating the contact between them, the soothing circular motions of Hannibal’s fingers lulling him back to sleep.

He blinks his eyes a few times, trying to wake himself up, but Hannibal’s right, he’s still tired. “Not much,” Will agrees. “What time is it?”

“Just after noon.”

“What time do you need to go home?”

“I suppose we should leave here around 4:30. You should go back to sleep.” Hannibal picks up his phone and Will sees him setting an alarm. 

“Only if you lay back down with me,” Will requests. He’s too tired to be embarrassed for asking, and Hannibal doesn’t seem to think he sounds needy because he lays back down next to Will and turns to face him. Will shakes his head. “Face the other way.”

So Hannibal turns away and Will presses up behind him, putting an arm over his waist and burying his face in the back of his neck. Hannibal’s hand finds Will’s where it’s resting on his stomach, and laces their fingers together. 

“This is nice,” Will murmurs into the back of Hannibal’s neck. “Really nice.”

“I’m inclined to agree,” Hannibal whispers. 

The dogs seem to have heard them, because they’re stirring where they were sleeping. Will really hopes they won’t want to go outside because he’s really comfortable. A few moments later, the bed dips and Winston is climbing up and laying in the space in front of Hannibal. Will reaches out the hand still held in Hannibal’s and awkwardly tries to pet the dog.

“He likes you,” Will says. “But he likes everyone.”

Hannibal laughs, low and rumbling. “Sleep, darling.”

Will likes the sound of that. _Darling._ The way Hannibal’s accent sounds on the word, the way it makes Will feel like he’s cared about, cherished. But he doesn’t say any of this. He just hopes Hannibal uses it again and again. He knows he’s getting ahead of himself, but he feels warmth spreading through his stomach and chest, and he smiles faintly into Hannibal’s neck. He brushes his lips right below Hannibal’s hair, then presses a kiss more firmly to the back of his neck. The last thing Will remembers before drifting off again is Hannibal pulling his arm tighter around him. 

\----

At the sound of the phone’s alarm, Will wakes up, still pressed to Hannibal’s back. His hand is still being held by Hannibal’s own, and Hannibal reaches his free hand to tap his phone’s screen and turn the alarm off. 

To his absolute horror, he’s achingly hard, and pressing into Hannibal’s back. There’s no way the other man doesn’t feel it, and Will feels the need to extricate himself from the room and the grip Hannibal has on his hand. In any other case, he would be less shy about this, but it feels entirely inappropriate given the circumstances that Hannibal is grieving and came to Will for comfort, not a hard cock digging into his back.

His attempt to pull free and back away is met with Hannibal just holding his hand tighter and pulling him closer. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” Hannibal asks. 

“I, uh,” Will stammers. He shakes his head and buries his face in Hannibal’s neck. “Sorry, I should, um…” Will tries to pull free again, really needing to get away from the physical contact. 

“I can help you with that.” Hannibal pushes his hips back and it takes everything in Will not to grind his own forward. 

“Not, uh, not right now. I mean, you don’t have to. I-I don’t think we should,” Will rambles on. He swallows loudly and Hannibal lets go of him, allowing Will to roll over and sit up. He plants both feet on the ground and sits on the edge of the bed, rubbing his face with his hands. 

Behind him, the bed shifts and Hannibal is behind him on his knees, rubbing his hands along Will’s upper arms. Will lets himself lean back into Hannibal’s body and relax there for a second. 

“We should be leaving soon, anyways,” Hannibal says finally. “You seem nervous, if you don’t mind me saying so.”

Will shakes his head, the back of it moving against Hannibal’s chest. 

“No, you aren’t nervous, or no you don’t mind me saying so?” Hannibal asks. He moves so he can sit directly behind Will, his feet dangling off the bed on either side of Will’s, his thighs bracketing Will’s own. Hannibal puts his arms around Will’s body and Will leans back into Hannibal’s chest. 

“I don’t know if I’m necessarily nervous, just…” Will trails off. He really doesn’t know what he would consider himself.

“Hesitant?” Hannibal offers. 

“Sure.”

“May I ask why?” Hannibal’s lips brush ever so lightly against the side of Will’s neck and Will shivers in his arms. 

“You just found out someone you’ve known for years is dead and I don’t… I want to offer you comfort and support, not make you feel like I’m just in this for sex.”

“I know you’re not just in this for sex, Will. We would have had sex already if that were the case.”

“What do _you_ want this to be?” Will asks. He thinks it could be too soon for this type of conversation, but they’re already forming a connection, Will knows that, he can feel it. 

“Whatever we can make it,” Hannibal murmurs. He kisses Will’s shoulder and tightens his arms. “I like you, Will. I am sure you can see that. And I would like to think that you like me, as well. I know you think this is moving at a rapid pace, but I don’t want you to worry about that.”

“I’m not-” Will starts. 

Hannibal cuts him off, “You are. It’s new, you don’t know what’s acceptable between us, if we’re seeing each other too often, if it’s too soon to have a conversation about the nature of our relationship. I can hear it in the way you speak, I can feel it in the way you touch me, or how you receive my touch, or my gifts. We can have something more casual, less feelings involved, something quick and dirty, and short lived, if that’s you want from me, if that’s what you are used to, but that’s not what I want, Will.”

“What do,” Will swallows. He tries again, “What do you want?”

“For us to understand each other, and see each other,” Hannibal whispers, breath hot in Will’s ear. “I want to see you at work every day, I want to take you out or have you over, or come here a few times a week. I want to cook you dinner, and bring you lunch, and buy you gifts. I want to kiss you, and touch you, and I want you to touch me in return, without hesitance about whether it’s acceptable or not. And I want that for as long as you’ll allow me to have it.” 

Will swallows again. He really has to stop doing that. No wonder Hannibal thinks he’s nervous, he’s exhibiting all the tell tale signs. 

“I don’t understand why. Why do you want this from _me?_ You’re attractive, and charming, you could have anyone else,” Will points out. He could have someone he’s known longer than three days, someone who isn’t constantly covered in dog hair, never takes care of himself, someone with more refined tastes, that doesn’t think the perfect day off is spent in a stream. There’s no way Hannibal could want him long-term. There’s no way their opposing tastes and lifestyles would make for a sustainable relationship.

“I haven’t known you for long, but I already know you’re different, Will. You welcomed me to the mall, you didn’t have to do that. You kept coming back just to catch a glimpse of me in my shop, and I was captivated by your beauty the moment I saw you, so it was in no way unwelcome that you spent the entire day circling in front of my shop door,” Hannibal explains. “I was particularly surprised you were actually agreeable to a date as I was unsure if you were attracted to men, but I had to try. I needed to know more about the man that couldn’t meet my eyes because eyes tell too much. I feel drawn to you in a way I cannot fully explain, and I think you feel similarly. If I’m wrong, then please tell me.”

“No, you’re right. You are. I can’t explain it, but something in me keeps pushing me towards you,” Will agrees. “Do you still, uh, did you still want to spend the night here after the opera?”

“Yes, if that is okay with you, of course.”

“Yeah. I think that we should come back here after you get your car, then drive to Baltimore together. That way you’ll have your car here in the morning.” 

“Very well. I suppose we should go fairly soon. You can dress at my house.” 

Hannibal lets go of Will and pushes him to stand, then he stands up too, right behind Will. He kisses the side of Will’s neck, and Will turns to kiss Hannibal’s lips softly, before grabbing his glasses off the nightstand and quickly ducking out of the room.

In the bathroom, he splashes cold water in his face, then takes a piss, trying not to think too hard about tonight and what it might hold. Will washes his hands, dries them, then takes his suit from the shower curtain rod and leaves the bathroom. Sitting on top of his dresser is the bag containing the cufflinks, watch, and new cologne, and he picks it up. 

Hannibal is no longer in the living room, but his bag is still sitting next to the bed, and his suit jacket is still hanging over the back of the couch, which means he’s not in the car. Unsure where else he would be, Will calls out, “Where did you go?”

“Kitchen,” Hannibal answers. When Will walks into the kitchen, Hannibal is looking in his fridge. He turns around and says, “I did allot enough time for us to have dinner, but it seems as though you do not have much here. I can prepare something at my home for us.”

Will just nods. “Well, I’m ready when you are.”

“Do the dogs need to go outside before we leave?” Hannibal asks.

“I guess,” Will huffs and goes to the front door to let them all outside. He stands in the doorway watching them for a minute, then Hannibal comes up behind him, resting his chin on Will’s shoulder, and putting his hands on Will’s hips. 

“I cannot wait to see you in your suit. I hope it fits well enough,” Hannibal says softly. “Did you try it on?”

Will shakes his head. “No, I didn’t.” 

The dogs come running back inside and Will steps out of the doorway, Hannibal stepping away from him. Once inside, the dogs find their spots in their beds and Will collects his things then locks the front door behind him and Hannibal. 

As planned, Hannibal drives his car back to Will’s and they leave it there, driving to Baltimore together in Will’s car. 

Once at Hannibal's house, Will is shown upstairs to Hannibal’s huge bedroom, where Hannibal tells him he can get dressed while he starts dinner. A few minutes later, Hannibal comes back upstairs as Will is buttoning up his shirt.

“I am reheating some leftovers from last night in the oven,” Hannibal tells him as he crosses the room to his closet. He pulls out a suit and Will realizes it matches his own, but reversed. Where Will has the floral design, Hannibal has solid colors, and where Will has solid colors, Hannibal has the pattern. The colors are revered too, where Will has blue in his jacket, waistcoat, and tie, Hannibal has black, and where Will has back, Hannibal has blue. 

“We’re matching,” Will points out, finishing up the top button of his shirt. He tucks his shirt into his pants then leans down to pick up his tie where he laid it on Hannibal’s bed. Hannibal steps over to him, taking it from his hands and putting it around Will’s neck, then ties it for him. His fingers linger on the knot, and he smiles. 

“Yes. We are matching,” Hannibal says. He steps away to start getting dressed and Will puts on his waistcoat, buttoning it and then shrugging the jacket on over. 

He looks at him in the full length mirror in Hannibal’s bedroom and smooths his jacket with his hands, not that it’s necessary. When Hannibal finishes dressing, he comes to stand behind Will in the mirror. 

“You look wonderful,” Hannibal whispers. He puts his nose in the crook of Will’s neck and inhales. 

“Did you just smell me?” Will asks, his eyebrows knitting together. 

“You’re wearing the cologne I bought you,” Hannibal shrugs. “If you’re ready, I believe our dinner should be as well.”

Will nods and they go downstairs together. Dinner is a quiet event, and so is the car ride to the opera. 

Once inside the building, Will feels overwhelmed by the amount of people surrounding them, all dressed to the nines. Even knowing that he is similarly dressed, he still doesn’t feel like he belongs there, like he’s not fancy enough to be standing amongst all of these people, talking loudly, trying to one up each other with their wealth. Will seeks out Hannibal’s hand as Hannibal walks them to a bar. 

He’s relieved when Hannibal laces their fingers together, instead of pulling away. Will knows he wouldn’t pull his hand away, but he can’t help but feel self conscious about touching him, even after their earlier conversation. Will squeezes Hannibal’s hand so tight he’s amazed Hannibal doesn’t make any indication he’s in pain.

Hannibal orders them each a glass of champagne and Will takes his own in his free hand. He considers downing the entire thing, but decides to just hold it as Hannibal leads him away from the bar. Near the stairs to the second floor, it’s less crowded and Hannibal stops. 

“Are you okay, Will?” Hannibal asks. Will hasn’t stopped squeezing his hand. 

“I’m, ah, out of my element,” Will tells him. He starts to sip his champagne and avoids Hannibal’s eyes. He doesn’t want to ruin this night for Hannibal by being uncomfortable, but he doesn’t want to lie and say he’s fine when he isn’t. 

“We don’t have to stay,” Hannibal says. 

Will shakes his head. “It’s okay. I’ll be fine when we take out seats, it’s just the crowd.”

“It’s not so different from the mall, is it?” 

“When I’m working security, whether at the mall, or at a concert, I’m not _in_ the crowd. People are aware of me and are less likely to bump into me, or talk to me. _Here_ I feel like I don’t belong, and it feels like everyone else knows I don’t. People have been staring.”

“They’re not staring at you because they think you don’t belong, darling,” Hannibal smiles. Will’s stomach flips at the use of the name again, but he doesn’t give any signs of the way it makes him feel. Hannibal continues, “They’re staring at you because you’re with me. They’re staring at us.

“Why?” 

Before Hannibal can answer, a woman with short brown hair and a low cut red dress is calling out his name and walking in their direction. Hannibal smiles sheepishly at Will before greeting the woman. 

“Oh, Hannibal, it’s been so long!” The woman exclaims. “And I see you’ve brought a friend.”

“This is Will Graham. Will, this is my friend Mrs Komeda,” Hannibal introduces them. With no free hands to shake hers, Will just nods at her and smiles. 

“How did you two meet?” Mrs Komeda asks. 

“We work at the same mall,” Hannibal smiles. 

“Oh right! You opened up your new antique shop. How wonderful that must be. I know you wanted a change of scenery from the world of medicine.”

Hannibal nods. “It’s been very pleasant.”

“Does that Franklyn fellow work for you? I know you had mentioned it at one of your dinner parties. Oh, that was so long ago. I am so happy you were finally able to follow that dream of yours after all this time,” Mrs Komeda goes on and on. 

Hannibal’s face had fallen at the mention of Franklyn, and now he’s the one squeezing Will’s hand instead. He says softly, “He did work for me, yes. Unfortunately Franklyn has passed away.” 

Mrs Komeda frowns. “Well, I’m very sorry to hear that. How long ago was this?”

Hannibal presses his lips together, and Will leans into his body, offering him support. Finally, Hannibal says, “They found his body this morning.”

“Oh, Hannibal, that’s terrible. Are you okay?”

Hannibal nods. “I will be.” 

They’re saved by the announcement on the overhead speaker signaling that the performance would start soon.

“We can catch up more during intermission,” Hannibal tells her. He looks at Will, “Would you like the rest of my drink?”

Will, having already finished his while Mrs Komeda was talking to them, nods, and Hannibal exchanges his glass for Will’s empty one. Will swallows the rest of the champagne and Hannibal takes the glass from him, holding both empties in one hand to bring back to the bar.

Once they’re settled in their seats, Will does start to relax a bit more. They’ve let go of each other’s hands in favor of Will putting an arm behind Hannibal’s shoulders, and Hannibal resting a hand on Will’s leg. Will doesn’t make much attention at all, focusing more on the hand resting on his thigh, the head that’s now resting on his shoulder. 

During intermission, a few more people join Mrs Komeda when she finds them again. 

“I completely forgot to mention that I will be having a dinner party very soon,” Hannibal tells her. “I will be sending out invitations by Monday, most likely.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Is Will going to be there?” Mrs Komeda raises an eyebrow. Will looks at Hannibal, not even aware that he was going to be having a party until now.

Hannibal looks over at him and shrugs. “I haven’t asked him yet.”

She nods. “Well, I don’t think I’ve ever seen you bring a date to the opera, Hannibal. He must be special.”

Hannibal grins. “Yes, he is.”

Will feels a blush growing on his cheek and he runs a hand through his hair nervously. Hannibal puts an arm around his waist and pulls him into his side, then kisses one of his warm cheeks. 

“How long have you two been together?”

“We met three days ago,” Will answers. 

“Oh. Well, that is quite a surprise. The way you two look at each other made me assume you’ve known each other for years.”

“No, just a few days,” Hannibal smiles. 

Will doesn’t want to keep being reminded about how this is going. Doesn’t want to think about how they might _look at eachother._ Doesn’t want to think about the prospect of years, when it’s possible Hannibal might get bored of him in a matter of weeks. He zones out for the rest of the conversation, and isn’t pulled back to reality until he feels Hannibal’s lips grazing his jaw. 

Bringing his eyes back into focus, pulling himself out of his head, he realizes everyone else is starting to go back to their seats, Mrs Komeda no longer talking to them, but finishing up a conversation with a different man a few feet away. 

“What are you thinking about?” Hannibal whispers in his ear.

“Nothing. Just zoned out.”

“Hm. We should return to our seats.”

Will nods, then turns his head to kiss Hannibal before walking away towards the doors. When they’re back in their seats, Hannibal puts his arm around Will’s shoulders and Will tries his best to pay attention to the show, but it doesn’t do much good.

By the end of the performance, Will finds himself tired again, despite napping through most of the day. Social situations with tons of people around, making his empathy pick up on every single thing, really take a toll. They walk hand in hand back out to the car and Will fishes his keys out of his pocket and hands them to Hannibal.

“I’m exhausted, so if you don’t want to end up dead in a ditch, I suggest you drive,” Will explains, getting into the passenger seat. Hannibal’s overnight bag is in the footwell, and he tells himself that he’ll remind Hannibal it’s there when they arrive at his house. 

He leans his head against the window as Hannibal pulls out of the parking spot and he’s asleep by the time they get on the freeway. 

A hand on his shoulder wakes him up and, for a second Will has no idea where he is. Hannibal’s eyes meet his own, and he turns his head, realizing he’s in his car in front of his house. 

“Shall I carry you in?” Hannibal jokes. 

Will shakes his head and lifts his glasses to rub his eyes. “I’m good.”

Hannibal reaches over the center console to grab his bag from next to Will’s feet and Will unbuckles his seatbelt and opens the door to get out of the car. He stumbles slightly on his way to the door and Hannibal steadies him with a strong hand under his elbow. 

“I can let the dogs outside if you want to change and lay down,” Hannibal offers. 

It’s a really enticing offer. Will agrees to that and asks, “Can you feed them too? There’s a container of dry kibble in the kitchen. Half a scoop for the small bowls and a full scoop for the big ones. Easier to fill the bowls while they’re still outside.” 

“Of course,” Hannibal nods and unlocks the front door with Will’s key. The dogs come flooding out the door and Will goes inside, as Hannibal walks into the kitchen. 

Will flops down on his bed, still fully clothed and he can hear Hannibal filling the dog bowls in the kitchen. When he finishes, Will hears the front door open again and all the dogs run into the kitchen. The front door closes again and Will can hear the lock click. 

The unmistakable sound of Hannibal’s shoes being toed off, and then socked feet shuffling across the hardwood floor. Will turns his head as Hannibal meets the edge of the bed. There’s a fond smile on his face as he looks back at Will.

“Don’t you want to undress?” Hannibal asks. 

“Don’t you?” 

“I’m not the one already in bed, thirty seconds from succumbing to sleep.”

With that, Hannibal gets on the bed and moves towards Will, climbing over him to kneel on either side of his hips. He leans down and starts untying Will’s tie, and Will lifts his head slightly so Hannibal can pull it out from behind his neck. Then he starts unbuttoning Will’s waistcoat, then shirt, then pulls him up to push the jacket, waistcoat, and shirt off of his shoulders, letting them drop off the bed behind Will’s back. 

It’s in no way a sexual thing, Will can tell as much. Hannibal just doesn’t want him to sleep in his nice suit, and wants to help him. Will feels warm and cared for and smiles lazily when Hannibal lifts his glasses off his face and leans over to set them on the nightstand. There’s a strong sense of intimacy in these gestures, and it’s not something Will often feels with other partners. The gentleness, the kindness, the light touches, all make Will want to keep this.

When he’s sitting straight again, Will is nearly chest to chest with Hannibal, and he tilts his head up to kiss the corner of Hannibal’s mouth. Hannibal reaches around him and moves the clothes, then pushes Will back down on the bed, and moves to unbutton his pants. Will’s breath catches in his throat as Hannibal slowly pulls down his zipper. Will lifts his hips to let Hannibal pull his pants off of him and he’s left in just his boxers and undershirt. 

Hannibal gets off the bed and starts to undress himself, and Will watches him, eyes moving up and down his body. Underneath those fancy suits, Hannibal hides a nice form and strong muscles, and Will can’t bring himself to look away. Hannibal smiles down at him as he pulls his undershirt over his head, then leaves down to pick up all of his clothes and fold them neatly. He sets them on an armchair, then goes to his bag and pulls on a sweater and a pair of pajama pants. 

“Are you going to sleep in that?” Hannibal asks, gesturing to Will’s t-shirt and boxers. 

Will nods. “Usually do. Are we actually going to sleep?”

Hannibal smirks and climbs into the bed. He lays on his side next to Will, propping himself up on one elbow, and leans down to kiss him for just a second before pulling away. “You’re exhausted.”

“I know, but I’m sure you had other things in mind when you agreed to come over tonight.”

“Do you recall our conversation from earlier when you told me you’re not just in this for sex? Neither am I, Will. We can sleep tonight and do anything we desire in the future,” Hannibal says softly. He cups one of Will’s cheeks in his hand, and looks down into his eyes. Will doesn’t look away this time and nods. 

“Are you working tomorrow?” Will asks. 

Hannibal settles on the bed next to him, laying on his back. Will turns over so he can rest his head on Hannibal’s shoulder and the sweater beneath his cheek is softer than anything he’s felt. He places his hand on Hannibal’s chest and runs his fingers over the material. 

“I was already planning on taking the day off tomorrow. My other employee, Chiyoh, was going to be handling the shop while I have an appointment with one of my patients.”

“I thought you weren’t practicing anymore?”

“I haven’t completely given up psychiatry yet and I still have a few patients that I see. A few special cases, just until I can find someone that would be a good match to refer them to,” Hannibal explains. He brings a hand to Will’s head and lightly massages his scalp with his finger tips. 

“That’s nice of you,” Will mumbles. He can feel sleep starting to overtake him again. “I have to go in tomorrow.”

“I can bring you lunch if you would like,” Hannibal offers. “We can sit in my office again.”

“You don’t have to.”

“I want to,” Hannibal whispers. 

“I don’t usually eat lunch.”

“Do you eat breakfast?”

“No.”

“So you eat dinner, and that’s it?” Hannibal doesn’t sound pleased at all. “I will have to change that, then.”

“I don’t usually have time,” Will explains. 

“You get a lunch break,” Hannibal points out.

“I usually just get a coffee and go sit in my car or talk to Margot at Hot Topic. Or get ice cream from Alana.” Will yawns and can feel his eyelids getting heavy. He won’t last much longer and he hopes Hannibal drops the subject. 

“Well, if you wish to stick to your routine, I will not pull you away from your friends, but I would like to bring you lunch,” Hannibal says. 

“Okay. Sure,” Will agrees. 

\----

In the morning, Will wakes up to the smell of something cooking in his kitchen. He remembers Hannibal spent the night and is disappointed to find out he didn’t stay in bed, but the smells coming from the kitchen lessen his disappointment. 

After stumbling to the bathroom to piss, Will goes into the kitchen, still in his t-shirt and underwear. He wishes he would’ve gotten dressed when he sees Hannibal fully clothed in his suit pants and a button down shirt. The sleeves are rolled up while he cooks, and his suit jacket is laying over the back of a chair. 

Hannibal looks up from wear he’s cooking on the stove and smiles at Will. 

“Where did you find the food?” Will yawns.

“I ran to a market before you woke up,” Hannibal shrugs. 

“How long have you been up? You could’ve woke me.” 

“I’ve been up since six and you looked peaceful so I didn’t want to.” 

Hannibal sets two plates on the kitchen table and Will sits down in front of one of them. 

“A protein scramble to start the day,” Hannibal tells him. 

“Looks delicious. Thanks,” Will mumbles. He takes a bite and it’s just as good as all the other meals Hannibal has shared with him. Hannibal watches Will take his first bites before eating his own. 

“So why did you leave law enforcement?” Hannibal asks. 

Will swallows the bite he was chewing. “I got stabbed, I told you that.”

“But you were planning on going into the FBI. What stopped you?” Hannibal presses. 

Will doesn’t talk about the real reason to anyone because he knows it changes the way people see him, but he feels like Hannibal won’t judge him for it. 

“I was teaching and they pulled me into the field because I have, uh, specific abilities that help me get into the minds of killers and catch them,” Will explains. He watches Hannibal as he speaks to see if anything in his face changes, but nothing does. He continues, “So, when I was working in the field… I, um, I killed the serial killer we were trying to catch. I caught him in the act and shot him.”

“Surely, that’s no reason to leave the FBI, though. You did what anyone would be expected to do in that situation,” Hannibal says. 

Will shakes his head. “That’s not… the killing itself isn’t the reason why I left. My first day back in the classroom after that, I walked in and everyone was standing and clapping for me. I handed in my resignation letter that afternoon.”

“You didn’t enjoy the praise?”

Will swallows, then speaks softly, “I liked it _too much._ Killing that man made me feel powerful, and here I was being _encouraged_ to take a life. It was… it was too much, and I knew I would end up in trouble if I let that get to me.”

There’s nothing in Hannibal’s face to show he’s pleased or displeased, or even scared of Will in this moment. Instead, he says, “So you hung up your badge and gun so you couldn’t use the badge as an excuse to use the gun more often.”

Will nods slowly. “If that… if this changes things between us, I… I understand. If you never want to see me again, I wouldn’t hold it against you.”

Hannibal doesn’t say a word, just pushes back in his seat and stands up. Will thinks he’s about to gather his things and leave, but instead he walks around to Will’s side of the table and kneels next to his chair. Will turns to look at him and Hannibal cups both hands in his cheeks.

“If anything, it makes me want to see you even more,” Hannibal whispers. He can’t respond before Hannibal is pressing his lips to Will’s. When he pulls away he says, “I do need to go now, but I’ll see you later. I can be at the mall at noon.”

Will is left somewhat confused after Hannibal leaves, unsure what exactly what he said means. _If anything, it makes me want to see you even more._ After telling someone, in not so many words, that he has violent thoughts and thinks about killing, Will expects them to run, to leave, to call him a freak, but Hannibal has just done the exact opposite. 

He realizes that Hannibal has already exceeded so many of his expectations in just a matter of days. This being the oddest out of all of them. It seems as though it would take a lot, if there’s anything at all, to drive Hannibal away at this point. Part of Will wants to try, but a bigger part of him wants to hold him close and understand him better than he does.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, if you've been enjoying this, please go check out my other fics too! I just finished a 3 part series that I'm very proud of, and I have a few oneshots + a post-fall fic in the works. 
> 
> Please leave comments and kudos on this if you've enjoyed it! Comments really help with motivation and I end up getting chapters out quicker when there's more comments.


	6. Chapter 6

Jack Crawford is back at his desk for the day and looks up when Will walks into the office. Will can feel his eyes follow him across the room to his locker and as he takes off his coat and attaches his radio to his shirt. When Will can’t take it anymore he finally turns and looks at Jack. 

“Yeah?” Will asks impatiently. 

“Jimmy told me you ditched work to go home with your boyfriend yesterday,” Jack states. It’s not necessarily an accusatory statement, but Will still feels like he’s under interrogation. He just stands there and waits to see if Jack says something else. Finally Jack sighs, “You aren’t going to refute that, then?” 

“One of his employees killed himself, Jack,” Will huffs. “We went home and took a nap together because he didn’t want to be alone. Is that okay? Or do I need to explain every single detail?”

“I didn’t know, Will. Sorry,” Jack says, hanging his head low. “That makes two dead mall employees in as many days. Weird coincidence.”

“Different causes of death, though,” Will says, shaking his head. He lets himself relax a bit, now not under any scrutiny from his boss. “I mean you really can’t compare suicide to what happened to Abel.”

“No, but after so long of nothing ever happening in this mall, this has been quite an eventful week,” Jack points out. 

“It’s not like the bodies were found in the mall, though. Still just a normal mall, where nothing ever happens, meaning it’s okay that I ditched for one single day for good reason,” Will tells him. He changes the subject. “Where am I today?” 

“Margot Verger requested you stay in the same spot for the duration of your employment at this mall,” Jack sighs. “I can easily deny that request, as it’s quite odd and we normally don’t give security officers permanent assignments, but she is the sister of the mall’s owner, so I almost don’t want to test that.”

“No, yeah, that’s perfectly fine,” Will says. He pretends he’s not jumping for joy that he can stay in the side of the mall where Alana, Margot, Hannibal, and Abigail all work. The other people he finds interesting enough to talk to besides his own coworkers. “Do I get my Segway today?”

Jack considers for a second, then shakes his head. “We’re predicted to have a lot of foot traffic today, I wouldn’t want you in the way. Feet are easier for getting around on days like this.”

Will nods, though disappointed. “Okay. Well, the mall opens soon so I should get out there, then.”

As always, not much happens. Will spends the morning checking his watch (the one Hannibal gave him) every few minutes, waiting until Hannibal said he would be at the mall. He thinks about his conversation with Hannibal earlier, about how he told the man something that would send any sane person running. But not him. Hannibal seemed to be more than fine with what Will told him. Will can’t help but wonder if the conversation actually happened or not. 

At 11:30, he gets a text from Hannibal saying he’s on his way. At 11:45 he gets a text from Margot asking if he can come to Hot Topic. 

Will sighs and makes his way to the shop. 

“Hey, Will, you weren’t here yesterday,” Margot says, leaning against the counter. She absentmindedly picks at the sticker lining the counter top as she speaks. 

“I went home early,” Will says. He doesn’t feel like retelling the story again, and thankfully Margot doesn’t ask for it. 

“How was your date last night?” She asks, leaning up against the counter. 

“Good. Exhausting. A lot of snobby rich people,” Will tells her. It’s almost complaining, but not quite. 

“Yes, well. My family is quite wealthy, so I’ve been dragged along to snobby events, so I get it. It’s a nice change to work for my own money in the mall at a store where normal people shop,” Margot says. 

“Yeah, I had to explain to him that the mall crowds are a lot different than the opera crowds,” Will agrees. “How did mini golfing go?”

“Oh it was fun,” Margot smiles. “You should definitely come next time.”

Will shrugs. “Maybe.”

Margot changes the subject. “Did Crawford tell you I requested you always work in this area?”

“Yes. Why?” 

“So I can call you to my store whenever I want and so you can be close to your boyfriend. Is he working today?”

“No, but he's bringing me lunch soon,” Will says. He checks his phone again, but Hannibal hasn’t texted him about arriving yet. 

“That’s nice of him,” Margot smiles. Will watches as her eyes go past his shoulder and light up and whoever has walked into the shop. “Excuse me, Will, but I have a lunch date of my own.”

Will turns and sees Alana coming into the store. Margot turns to one of the employees and gives them instructions and walks around the counter to kiss Alana on the cheek. 

“Hi, Alana,” Will smiles. He starts to walk out of the shop in stride with the two women. 

“Hi, Will. How was the opera last night?”

“Exhausting. Rather would’ve gone mini golfing,” Will sighs. 

“Next time,” Alana promises. 

Will really does hope so. If Hannibal wants to drag him to stuffy rich people events, dress him up in an expensive suit, buy him expensive champagne, then Will can drag him out to mini golf in jeans and a t-shirt, and he can make Hannibal drink fountain soda out of a paper cup. 

They part ways at the shop door and Will receives a text that Hannibal is in his own shop so Will goes back to the security office to let Jack know he’s going on break. On his way to Hannibal’s shop, he passes a candy store and decides to stop. He doesn’t even know if Hannibal likes candy, but he decides to bring him a box of chocolate anyways. 

After all the gifts Hannibal has bought him, it’s not much at all, but what is there to buy for someone that has everything they want? Will hopes something simple like this will be appreciated. He hopes it will be because he wasted five minutes of his break to get them. 

He still can’t stop thinking of that conversation in his kitchen. The fact that Hannibal wants him even more now baffles Will. He keeps worrying about it the entire walk to the shop and when he gets there, he considers not walking in. There’s no one at the counter, no one has seen him, he could turn around and walk away and ask for a new assignment and never see Hannibal again. Never have to face the fact that he admitted to this perfect man that he has violent urges and thoughts and has killed someone and _enjoyed_ it. 

Standing in the doorway, clutching the heart-shaped box in his hands, he really thinks about turning around, but Hannibal comes out of the back room and smiles at him, a big toothy grin. Will is instantly relaxed, seeing the way Hannibal lights up, the way his eyes drift down to the box in his hands and then back up, smile never faltering. 

Hannibal walks around the corner and meets Will in the doorway, kissing him on the cheek, and then closing the glass doors and locking them. Will eyes him curiously as he does it and Hannibal kisses his cheek once more. 

“I allowed Chiyoh to take her lunch break now, so we can be alone for as much time as you have,” Hannibal says as he starts walking back towards the back room. Will takes a second before his legs start working again and he follows Hannibal behind the curtain and towards the office. 

“These are for you,” Will mumbles and pushes the box into Hannibal’s hands once they’re in the office. 

Hannibal’s lips turn up into the faintest smile and he whispers, “Thank you, darling.”

“It’s not much. Nothing like what you’ve given me, but-”

Hannibal cuts him off. “It’s perfect. Thank you, Will.”

Hannibal sets the box on the desk behind him and brings a hand to tilt Will’s chin up towards him. Will meets his eyes and sighs. He leans forward and presses the lightest kiss to Hannibal’s lips. Hannibal’s hand moves to rest on Will’s cheek and remains there after Will pulls away from the kiss. 

When they sit down they start eating, it’s a similar spread to the day before, and just as delicious. The only words spoken between them while they eat are Will’s praises of the meal. 

Will leans back in his chair when he finishes and stretches his hands above his head. 

“You mentioned a dinner party last night,” Will remembers. 

“Yes. Three weeks from yesterday,” Hannibal answers. “I would very much enjoy it if you came, but you are under no obligation.”

“Sure, yeah, I’ll come. I can’t promise I’ll be the best company, though,” Will shrugs. 

“I enjoy your company immensely, Will. I was thinking that, if it would make you more comfortable, I would also invite your friends Miss Verger and her partner,” Hannibal offers. 

“Actually, that would be a good idea. And don’t think that will get you out of mini golf with them at a later date. You can dress me up and take me out, I’ll come to your parties, but I think I should also be able to dress you down and take you out once in a while,” Will says. 

Hannibal nods, his face shows that he’s considering the conditions, then he says, “That seems fair.”

“Good,” Will smiles. “Oh, and I’m off the next two days, so don’t bring me lunch.”

“Very well.”

Will checks his watch. Ten minutes left. 

“So we’re alone here, then?” Will asks, giving nothing away. He’s not even sure if he wants anything to happen, but he wants to make sure they’re alone, regardless. 

Hannibal hums. “I gave Chiyoh an hour.”

“Well, I have ten minutes before I have to get back,” Will sighs. He reaches out for one of Hannibal’s hands and holds it in his own. He enjoys the contact, the way Hannibal is so quick to give his hand a squeeze and give him a faint smile. He knows this is exactly what Hannibal talked about yesterday about touch, how Will shouldn’t be hesitant to reach for him. 

“Neither of us are working tomorrow,” Hannibal says softly. “If you would like to come over tonight, we could have all night, and I could cook you breakfast properly tomorrow.”

Will sighs and shakes his head. “I’m working security at a concert tonight.”

“How unfortunate for me. Another time, then,” Hannibal nods once. He doesn’t seem disappointed at all, which Will is grateful for. He feels bad, but he doesn’t need to feel guilty about it, too. 

“Yeah. Another time,” Will agrees. “Look, Hannibal, I…” Will trails off, attempting to gather his thoughts. Hannibal looks at him with concern across his face. Will gives his hand a light squeeze before continuing, “I’ve been thinking about our conversation earlier. In my kitchen.”

“About why you left the FBI,” Hannibal says. It’s not a question, just a clarification.

Will swallows and nods. “I just want… Hannibal I truly understand if that bothers you. I really do, and if you decide you don’t want to see me anymore, then-”

Hannibal cuts him off with a kiss. He pulls away, but stays close and whispers, “You are truly magnificent, Will. In all your darkness, there is still light, and I am entranced with both of those parts of you. One day it will make more sense, but for now, I will leave it at that with a promise that I do not think worse of you for what you told me today.”

“Okay,” Will whispers back. Hannibal seals his promise with another kiss. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for how brief this chapter is. And apologies that it took so long. I have been taking a bit of a break from writing, and I believe I will continue to do so for a bit, just until I get out of the funk I'm in. Hopefully after the holidays, I'll be back in a writing mood and can work on these stories for all of you. While you wait patiently for the next update, please check out my [series](https://archiveofourown.org/series/1967875). It's finished, and in my opinion it's really good! Hopefully it'll tide you over while I get my shit together. 
> 
> As always, leave comments and kudos! Encouraging comments, and comments about parts you like help me immensely and keep me motivated (and motivation is something I am severely lacking right now.)


End file.
